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"Modern liberalism is just QAnon for people with diplomas on their walls."

-- Caitlin Johnstone

News and Opinion

Big talkers bravely adjourn. The cowardly bastards didn't even write a sternly worded letter. Or, were they just acknowledging that the Trump administration and its "resistance" has all been a theatrical production for the benefit of the rubes? (That's a rhetorical question.)

Instead of Trump Impeachment, House Dems Adjourn

In the face of growing pressure to hold President Donald Trump accountable for inciting the violent far-right mob that invaded the nation's Capitol Building, House Democratic leaders signaled that they don't intend to do anything of the kind by adjourning their chamber Thursday morning until after the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.

The move prompted immediate and furious backlash from progressives, who denounced the decision as a spineless refusal to respond to a violent coup attempt led by the sitting president and abetted by many Republican lawmakers.

"Disgraceful, cowardly move from House Democratic leadership," declared Murshed Zaheed, managing principal at progressive media relations firm Megaphone Strategies, after House Majority Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the chamber won't hold any more sessions until after Inauguration Day.

"Shame on all of them," said Zaheed.

Condemning the House's adjournment as "utterly pathetic," The Week's Ryan Cooper tweeted that Hoyer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) "might as well hang 'kick me' signs around their necks."

they think that if they just keep their heads down they won't have to do anything and it'll all blow over. in reality not responding to an attempted putsch invites more organized attempts. this is what we call "cowardice"

— ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper) January 7, 2021

think of what these idiot yahoos could have accomplished with say, just 2-3x more people, or better organization, or more (easily obtained) ordinance. but aside from the left, Dems are thanking the cops who failed them

— ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper) January 7, 2021

Shortly after the House Democratic leadership adjourned the chamber, incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined the chorus of lawmakers and advocacy groups calling for Trump's immediate removal, either by invocation of the 25th Amendment or through the impeachment process. The Senate is not expected to return until January 19.

"What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president," Schumer said in a statement Thursday. "This president should not hold office one day longer. The quickest and most effective way—it can be done today—to remove this president from office would be for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment."

"If the vice president and the Cabinet refuse to stand up," Schumer added, "Congress should reconvene to impeach the president."

During a press conference early Thursday afternoon, Pelosi echoed Schumer's demand that Pence invoke the 25th Amendment and said she "may" be prepared to move forward with impeachment if the vice president refuses to act. After noting that her phone has been "exploding" with calls to impeach the president, the speaker said she doesn't have "immediate plans" to do so as she awaits a response from Pence.

Just ahead of Pelosi's briefing, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) unveiled articles of impeachment against the president accompanied by a "Dear Colleague" letter imploring House members to join her and the dozen co-sponsors of the resolution, including Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
"I invite you to join me in introducing a resolution to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors," reads Omar's letter. "Once again, Trump has violated his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution."

"Every single hour that Donald Trump remains in office, our country, our democracy, and our national security remain in danger," the letter continues. "Congress must take immediate action to keep the people of this country safe and set a precedent that such behavior cannot be tolerated."

Rep. Ro Khanna: Republicans Should Back Impeachment After Trump Incited Mob Violence Against Them

Tlaib Leads Letter Demanding Congress Immediately Reconvene to Impeach and Remove Trump

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is leading a group of House Democrats in demanding that congressional leaders immediately reconvene both chambers to begin the process of impeaching and removing President Donald Trump, arguing that the nation cannot afford to "risk his unhinged behavior any longer."

"The attack on our nation's Capitol yesterday was a result of his incitement, and we cannot go home while he remains in the highest office in our land, threatening our elected officials, our nation's Capitol, and our very democracy," reads the Thursday letter (pdf), which is addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The call by Tlaib and other House progressives came shortly before Trump released a brief video address late Thursday acknowledging that there will be a new administration on January 20 and pledging to submit to an "orderly transition," remarks that came just two days after a violent right-wing mob encouraged by the president invaded and ravaged the U.S. Capitol Building.

Tlaib and her Democratic colleagues warned that while Trump's official departure is less than two weeks away, that short period "may prove to be detrimental to our nation—every day that he remains in office is a serious threat to our democracy and our national security."

"We will set a dangerous precedent if there are no consequences for a sitting U.S. president inciting violence as a last-ditch effort to remain in power against the will of the American people who voted him out of office," the lawmakers wrote. "Congress must reconvene immediately in order to begin proceedings to remove Donald J. Trump from office."

Despite urgent pressure on the House hold the president to account for inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Democratic leaders adjourned the chamber Thursday morning after Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Pelosi called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and said the House "may be prepared to move forward with impeachment" if he refuses to act, remarks that did not reflect the sense of urgency expressed by many members of her caucus.

"Please call the House to order and let's get it done. Today. Right now," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has unveiled articles of impeachment against the president charging that he violated his oath and abused his power by attempting to overturn the November election and inciting violence in an "attempted coup against our country."

Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement late Thursday that they "have not yet heard back from the vice president" but hope to receive a response "as soon as possible." The statement does not mention impeachment.

Earlier Thursday, Schumer told reporters that when he and Pelosi attempted to get Pence on the phone hours after the assault on the Capitol, White House staff "kept us on hold for 25 minutes, and then said the vice president wouldn't come on the phone."

With Pence predictably refusing to act and as members of the Cabinet—most recently Education Secretary Betsy DeVos—avoid the 25th Amendment push by jumping ship, The American Prospect's David Dayen argued Thursday that "the only remedy that can actually do the job here is impeachment and removal."

"The need to remove, needless to say, is urgent," Dayen wrote. "Every crime perpetrated in Washington yesterday is a federal crime. Many U.S. attorneys, all appointed by Trump, are lining up to say they will prosecute seditionists, but Trump can end that immediately through the pardon power. Everyone in the Capitol yesterday can be absolved, if they were ever at risk at all."

"Moreover," Dayen continued, "each day of the final 13 that Trump remains in power gives him the ability to run this cycle again, or worse. And impeachment would bar him from any federal office in the future, which is an appropriate outcome for someone explicitly vowing to overthrow the government."

Storming of the Capitol Was Openly Planned but Ignored by Law Enforcement

Just hours after being the site of a historic siege, the scene outside of the U.S. Capitol was eerie but quiet. The crowds were gone, and the tear gas had lifted. The only sound on the streets was the occasional siren in the distance. From police cruisers to blacked-out SUVs, nearly every vehicle on the road belonged to one law enforcement agency or another. A few dozen TV anchors filed reports from the Capitol’s southwest side. Over their shoulders, camouflaged government employees of unclear affiliation ambled about, relocating their shields and other tactical gear. Closer to the building, a column of black-clad riot cops shuffled through shadows, visible only by the glint of their helmets.

The law enforcement presence Wednesday night, like the one used on protesters at Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, was a reminder that the capital of the world’s most powerful country does not lack for security forces. As a collective body, the agencies are abundant and well-armed, and they are tapped into a billion-dollar intelligence-sharing apparatus. Not that Wednesday’s rally was some secret, nor was its conclusion unforeseeable. The rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol had been hyped for weeks, including by the president himself, who for the past four years has had a direct relationship to many acts of staggering right-wing violence.

“It definitely shows the ineffectiveness of the intelligence network that we’ve built since 911 — that the Capitol Police would not have been prepared for an assault on the Capitol that was planned in public,” Mike German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice and former FBI agent specializing in counterterrorism, told The Intercept. “It wasn’t as if this was a spontaneous gathering. This was an event that had been planned for weeks, and it was very clear in the social media activity and public statements of these militants what they intended to do.” ...

According to reports Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department had “no intelligence” suggesting “there would be a breach of the US Capitol.” German, the former FBI agent, said, “There needs to be a serious inquiry into the intelligence breakdowns and the tactical breakdowns that allowed the capital itself to be breached, particularly by people with weapons.” Adam Isacson, the D.C.-based director of the defense oversight program at the Washington Office on Latin America, linked the events to a broader politicization of law enforcement under Trump, reminiscent of the anti-democratic movements the U.S. has historically sponsored in countries around the world. “You don’t get to ransack the Capitol for hours, then calmly walk away, unless law enforcement and its command share your views,” he wrote. “What we saw yesterday was tacit approval of the rioters. Full stop.” ...

“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny… When the government fears the people… There is liberty,” Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, a right-wing paramilitary group loyal to the president, posted on right-wing social media network Parler, attaching a photo of people in hiding in the House Chamber. Tarrio, who was arrested this week on weapons charges, told the Wall Street Journal that he expects the insurrection to continue in the days to come. ... When they were through, Trump’s irregular forces walked out of the building triumphant and unmasked, smiling as a law enforcement officer held the door for them. “We love you. You’re very special,” the president said to his supporters in a video message, telling them they could now go home. Police reported recovering pipe bombs outside both the Democratic and Republican National Committees, as well as a long gun and Molotov cocktail.

Ken Klippenstein: How Law Enforcement BUNGLED Response, Investigation Of Riots

Capitol Police Chief SUND resignation letter, effective 1/16 pic.twitter.com/qUebG2tQzV

— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) January 7, 2021

McConnell says Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stegner has resigned following yesterday’s incursion at the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/ujF0O0ha4V

— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) January 8, 2021

They are trying to slap a Native man with 17 years in prison for supposedly grabbing a police shield during the Black Hills protest. This guy is taking pictures with one. pic.twitter.com/V4iUBZn3T4

— Lucas Brown Eyes (@LucasBrownEyes) January 7, 2021

Republican Congressman Legitimizes Violence as Response to Election Dispute

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., one of the most outspoken lawmakers in support of Donald Trump’s false claim that the presidential election was stolen, floated the possibility of violence as a reasonable form of political resistance while speaking on local Alabama talk radio today. On Wednesday, Brooks was one of the opening speakers at the “Save America” rally that ended with Trump supporters forcing their way into congressional offices after violent clashes with the U.S. Capitol Police. The riot resulted in dozens of injuries and at least four deaths.

On the radio, Brooks defended his participation in the rally the previous day, baselessly charged that there was “mounting evidence of fascist antifa’s involvement in all of this,” and said that those involved in storming Congress should be prosecuted. ... Later in the day today, Brooks again floated violence as a viable response in a series of tweets.

“In the past, when citizens of a Republic lose faith in their ability to guide the destiny of their country via the election process, they have been FORCED by that country’s rulers into a box and FORCED to choose from any of 3 bad options,” which include “1. Flee (emigrate). 2. Submit. 3. Fight back with violence. THAT is why we must fight for honest & accurate elections.”

The inflammatory rhetoric suggests the Alabama lawmaker has little interest in stepping back from his rhetoric earlier this week. Brooks opened the “Save America” rally with a searing speech that charged, “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.” During his remarks, he asked the crowd to consider the American ancestors who sacrificed their blood and “sometimes their lives” to create the “greatest nation in world history.”

“So I have a question for you,” Brooks continued. “Are you willing to do the same?”

the person with the nuclear codes has been deemed too dangerous to have a twitter account

— joe (@JoePerticone) January 7, 2021

House Speaker Pelosi says she spoke to top US general about restraining Trump

Fears mount that Trump’s final 13 days in office pose a security threat

Donald Trump’s final 13 days as US president pose a grave national security threat and warrant his immediate removal from office, politicians and activists said on Thursday. ...

The assault on the citadel of American democracy fueled a sense of foreboding about what the president, who possesses the nuclear codes, is capable of before he makes way for Joe Biden on 20 January. He could, for example, encourage his followers to march on government buildings and other state capitols again.

“He needs to be removed,” said Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman. “He’s a threat to this country. We’re not safe with him in the White House. Our president is this country’s greatest national security threat.”

Walsh added: “What he did yesterday, he could do again tomorrow. He could call another 50,000 people to Washington DC on Sunday to do whatever. He can use the power of his office to incite violence and insurrection again any day for the next 13 days.”

Trump is reportedly in a downward spiral as his time runs out at the White House, raging about his election loss, ignoring the deadly coronavirus pandemic and ever more delusional, paranoid and out of touch with reality. He feels betrayed by allies including Mike Pence, the vice-president who rubber-stamped the election result in the early hours of Thursday.

The Axios website reported: “Some stalwart aides and confidants – after years of enduring the crazy, and trying to modulate the chaos – have given up trying to communicate with him, considering him mentally unreachable.”

: McConnell Lets Trump TWIST In Wind As Impeachment Talks Rise

Poll Shows Nearly Half of GOP Voters—Lied to by Right-Wing Media—Approve of US Capitol Ransacking

A new poll released in the aftermath of Wednesday's violent coup attempt—incited by President Donald Trump and enabled by Republican lawmakers who questioned the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden's victory—shows that nearly half of GOP voters approve of the pro-Trump mob's storming of the U.S. Capitol, findings that observers say are inseparable from how right-wing media outlets are lying about the insurrection.

YouGov Direct conducted the survey on Wednesday night between 5:17 pm and 5:42 pm. A majority (62%) of the 1,397 registered voters who had heard about the day's events told pollsters that they consider the pro-Trump mob's actions a threat to democracy. But while 93% of Democrats and 55% of Independents perceive what happened as a threat to democracy, only 27% of Republicans see it that way.

In fact, a greater percentage of Republicans (45%) actively support the storming of the Capitol than oppose it (43%). Overall, 71% of registered voters are opposed to the coup attempt, including 96% of Democrats and 67% of Independents.

Among voters who erroneously believe that the presidential election was fraudulent enough to affect the outcome, 56% say the invasion of the halls of Congress was justified.

A majority of registered voters (55%), including 90% of Democrats and 51% of Independents, believe "a great deal of the blame" lies with Trump. Yet, in the eyes of GOP voters, President-elect Joe Biden is the biggest culprit, with 52% assigning some degree of blame to Biden compared to 28% attributing the debacle to Trump.

When it comes to removing Trump from office as a result of what happened at the Capitol—an option that is gaining support among federal lawmakers—50% of registered voters, including 83% of Democrats and 47% of Independents, are in favor. Conversely, 85% of Republicans consider immediate removal inappropriate.

Whereas roughly two-thirds to three-fourths of Democrats deemed the participants "extremists," "domestic terrorists," "criminals," and/or "anti-democratic," 50% of Republicans called them "protestors" and 30% labeled them "patriots."

Republican voters' relatively high degree of support for this week's seditious assault on democracy, progressive critics say, cannot be understood without looking at how right-wing media outlets spewed lies when covering the day's events for their viewers.

Writing in Axios, media analyst Sara Fischer reported that "the right's favored media—conservative TV, websites, and social networks—offered an alternate reality in which everyone but pro-Trump rioters were to blame for the mayhem at the Capitol." Fischer provided a breakdown of "the version of events a good chunk of America got."

"Instead of condemning the pro-Trump mobs that stormed Washington, right-wing media outlets mostly blamed left-wing activists, the media, Vice President Pence—and even police officers—for the riots that some suggested were the start of a 'civil war' in America," Fischer wrote. "Hosts on Fox News, One America News Network, and Newsmaxwent so far as to baselessly suggest that the unlawful protestors at the Capitol may have been members of Antifa."

"Even when it became obvious that the riots were becoming destructive, right-wing networks downplayed the severity of events, calling those marching on the Capitol mostly peaceful protestors," Fischer noted. "Presenters on OANN argued the riots were nothing compared to racial justice protests over the summer."

Lots more at the link:

Funders of The Insurrectionist GOP Want You To Forget Their Role

Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman on Thursday said the insurrection and coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol this week was “appalling and an affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans” — but Schwarzman is one of a number of GOP benefactors suddenly pretending to be shocked and outraged at the mayhem fomented by the politicians they bankroll.

In the last 24 hours, groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Koch Network’s Americans for Prosperity and companies like Chevron have issued similar statements, without acknowledging the role they’ve played in helping elect the politicians who egged on and fueled the attempt to overturn the election and pull off a coup. None of them have pledged to stop funding the Republicans politicians who egged on the insurrection and tried to overturn the election. The question now is whether these sponsors will face any consequences for their decisions to fund a political movement that tried to effectively end American democracy.

Schwarzman’s case is the most pronounced: The billionaire was one of Wall Street’s leading donors to Trump and the Republican machine, ultimately getting himself appointed to a White House business council that shaped federal policies affecting his private equity firm. As Trump’s lawlessness and attacks on democratic institutions intensified, Schwarzman became the leading finance industry cheerleader for Trump’s reelection, pumping more than $40 million into Republican Party groups and a Trump super PAC during the 2020 election cycle. ...

In addition to Schwarzman, some of the nation’s largest and best-known corporations have also bankrolled the politicians who mounted Wednesday’s attempt to overturn the election. Popular Information reported that just 20 corporations have spent over $16 million over the past six years backing the 138 Republican lawmakers publicly committed to rejecting certified electoral college votes. And corporate titans have routinely funded efforts at the state level to thwart democracy through partisan gerrymandering campaigns and voter suppression laws, The New Republic reported.

Corporations also bankrolled a group that helped organize the protest that precipitated Wednesday’s insurrection. Documented reported Wednesday that the Rule of Law Defense Fund, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), was listed as one of the organizers of Wednesday’s protest. RAGA received hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions last year from Koch Industries, Comcast Corporation, Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon, Google and other corporate donors. Some of the companies and organizations that have spent big to elect insurrectionist Republican lawmakers in Washington are speaking out against the coup effort now as if they have been passive bystanders all along.

A win for Assange, a loss for journalism | George Galloway

Julian Assange Extradition BATTLE -- Free Speech vs. UK/US!

'I'm sleeping in my car': US states fail to provide unemployment help amid pandemic

Eugene Williams of Daytona Beach, Florida, lost his job with a restaurant food distributor when the pandemic hit in March 2020, and had been receiving unemployment benefits without issue until June, when he accidentally entered “return to work” in verifying his weekly benefits claim. In doing so, Williams has been unable to restart his unemployment benefits for over 30 weeks, and repeated inquiries to the Florida department of employment opportunity have yet to resolve the issue. ...

“I’m sleeping in my car and in the next few weeks I’ll be without a phone,” said Williams. He’s been unable to find new work and has relied on charitable organizations for food. “It is impossible to get a hold of the unemployment department. The call center whom they say that they are working for the DEO but cannot contact them nor do they have an extension or direct line, all I’m hearing is ‘be patient.’ Isn’t 31 weeks patient enough?”

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, millions of Americans who have filed for unemployment benefits have faced long backlogs and errors that have delayed or suddenly halted their benefits. Nearly every state in the US has failed to meet federal standards in getting unemployment benefits to 87% of recipients within three weeks.

About 14 million Americans experienced their unemployment benefits expiring on or before 26 December, as Trump delayed signing a coronavirus relief bill into law until 27 December. With benefits having expired for millions, some state unemployment agencies are likely to lag at least a week to restart benefits for those whose benefits had already expired.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, 25.7 million workers in the US remain officially unemployed, otherwise out of work due to the pandemic, or have experienced a reduction in work hours or pay.

David Sirota: Here’s Exactly HOW Dems Can Pass $2000 Checks, Public Option Immediately

Krystal and Saagar: COVID Death Record As Wealthy Try To Jump Vaccine Line

Nearly 4,000 Americans Died From Covid-19 on Wednesday as Trump Incited Anti-Democratic Insurrection

Public Citizen president Robert Weissman called Wednesday a "dark, dark day for America." He was understandably referring to the spectacle of an insurrectionary mob of fascists—egged on by President Donald Trump and abetted by Republican lawmakers—storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the democratic process that handed President-elect Joe Biden a legitimate and decisive Electoral College victory.

The violent invasion of the halls of Congress, however, coincided with another tragedy that unfolded relatively quietly nationwide: 3,865 Americans died from Covid-19 on Wednesday, surpassing the record high set one day earlier.

That brought the overall number of Covid-19 deaths in the nation to 361,453 people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Wednesday's right-wing riots in Washington, D.C. and the federal government's disastrous pandemic response are linked, critics say, since both are products of decades of inequality-worsening "free-market" policies as well as Trump's catastrophic failure of leadership.

Yet, as Georgetown University political scientist Elizabeth Saunders pointed out, Trump's complete abdication of responsibility for the federal response to the coronavirus crisis was "not even on the radar."

I also can't stop thinking about how Trump completely abdicating all responsibility for federal Covid response is not even on the radar today.

— Elizabeth Saunders (@ProfSaunders) January 7, 2021

Instead, the deadliest day in U.S. history was overshadowed by a pro-Trump coup attempt, an assault on democracy instigated by the president himself.

Unfortunately, epidemiologists are warning that in the coming weeks, coronavirus infections and mortality are likely to intensify in the U.S., where 21,314,415 cases have been recorded as of press time.

According to the latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, the country's total Covid-19 death count is projected to hit about 518,945 by February 7, while the daily death toll is expected to peak at roughly 5,490 on February 10.

That forecast is based on the assumptions that "vaccine distribution is scaled up over 90 days" and "governments do not re-impose mandates if cases increase," the IHME explains.

Survival of the Fittest? Florida Seniors Forced to Camp Overnight in Cars, Hoping for Vaccine

Arizona becomes Covid hotspot of the world as governor resists restrictions

Arizona is reporting the highest rate of new coronavirus cases in the United States, as the state’s governor continues to resist calls to install strong restrictive measures. With an average of 118.3 new cases per 100,000 people, Arizona has become what health officials call the latest “hotspot of the world” because of soaring case loads.

The state has the highest coronavirus diagnosis rate in the US, with one out of every 119 people testing positive in the past week. It reported nearly 300 coronavirus deaths, a pandemic high, and nearly 10,000 new infections on Thursday. The surge has stressed Arizona’s healthcare system, with a record 4,920 Covid-19 patients occupying inpatient hospital beds and a record 1,101 patients in intensive care.

Health officials have urged Doug Ducey, Arizona’s governor, to install new measures as cases surge. Ducey, a Republican, so far has declined to institute a statewide mask mandate, allowed school districts to mostly make their own choices and allowed businesses to stay open.

“We have a governor and health director who don’t care. Their goal in my opinion is to vaccinate their way out of this,” said Will Humble, the head of the Arizona Public Health Association. “Eventually it will work. There’s just going to be a lot of dead people in the meantime.”

“A Troubling History”: Biden’s AG Pick Merrick Garland Has Record of Not Holding Cops Accountable

Progressives Slam Biden Choice of Gov. Raimondo for Commerce Chief

Progressives expressed concern Thursday following reports that Presdident-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to be commerce secretary.

"Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, is the wrong pick—and the American public agrees," the Revoling Door Project—a group that's urged Biden to reject corporate-aligned Cabinet selections—said in a statement. "According to November polling, nearly 70% of respondents oppose President-elect Biden appointing Raimondo to any Cabinet position."

Raimondo, a charter school advocate who backed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the Democratic presidential primary—had previously been under consideration to be Biden's Department of Health and Human Services chief but withdrew her name from consideration last month amid grounded accusations her "record on health is a total disaster."

The Daily Poster reported in December:

As governor, Raimondo has slammed proposals to expand Medicare to cover everyone. Amid the pandemic in August, her administration approved health insurance companies' steep premium increases that were criticized by the state's Democratic attorney general as "unnecessary and ill-advised." Health insurers have been raking in record profits, with fewer people seeking care because of the pandemic.

Raimondo has also pushed for Medicaid cuts that nursing home workers warned would result in unsafe staffing levels—and in April, she issued an executive order sought by healthcare industry lobbyists that shielded nursing homes from lawsuits when their business decisions injure or kill people. The order was later expanded to shield nursing homes, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.

Drop In Jobs As Economy Nears The Brink

Elon Musk becomes world's richest person

Elon Musk, the maverick boss of Tesla, has overtaken Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person, after shares in the electric car company he co-founded soared on hopes that a Democrat-controlled US Senate would usher in a new green agenda.

A 4.8% rise in Tesla’s share price was enough to push Musk into the top spot according to the Bloomberg billionaires index, which tracks the daily changes in the fortunes of the world’s 500 wealthiest people.

The 49-year-old entrepreneur’s net worth hit $186bn (£136bn) at 10.15am in New York on Wednesday, making him $1.5bn richer than Bezos, who had held the top spot since October 2017.

Climate Emergency Persists as 2020 Ties for Earth's Hottest Year on Record

Highlighting global campaigners' demands for urgent and bold climate action, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced Friday that despite coronavirus-related lockdowns, 2020 tied with 2016 for being the warmest year on record and closed out the warmest decade on the books.

"It is notable that 2020 matches the 2016 record despite a cooling La Niña, whereas 2016 was a record year that began with a strong warming El Niño event," the agency known as C3S said.

December #temperature highlights from #Copernicus #C3S:

Globally, December 2020 was the sixth warmest on record
The six warmest Decembers all occurred in the last six years

Morehttps://t.co/hhJeTN4NXr pic.twitter.com/tN9jaNsbmg

— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) January 8, 2021

2020 was roughly 1.25°C above pre-industrial levels.

In its statement announcing the findings, the European climate service pointed to generally above average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, sharp temperature deviations in the Arctic, and an "unusually active" wildfire season in that region.

The "fires released a record amount of 244 megatonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020, over a third more than the 2019 record," said C3S. "During the second half of the year," it added, "Arctic sea ice was significantly lower than average for the time of the year with July and October seeing the lowest sea ice extent on record for the respective month."

C3S director Carlo Buontempo said that "2020 stands out for its exceptional warmth in the Arctic and a record number of tropical storms in the North Atlantic."

"It is no surprise that the last decade was the warmest on record," said Buontempo, "and is yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts in the future."

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations also continued to climb upward at a growth rate of about 2.3 parts per million per year, hitting "an unprecedented global column-averaged maximum" of 413 ppm in May.

"While carbon dioxide concentrations have risen slightly less in 2020 than in 2019, this is no cause for complacency," said Vincent-Henri Peuch, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. "Until the net global emissions reduce to zero, CO2 will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere and drive further climate change."

Minke whale trapped in nets in Japan for two weeks

Animal rights campaigners have demanded the immediate release of a minke whale that has been trapped for more than two weeks in nets in Taiji, a town on Japan’s Pacific coast known for its annual dolphin cull. Japanese media reported that attempts were being made to free the four or five metre long whale but fishermen claimed its size and strong tidal currents were making it difficult to guide it into open water.

Ren Yabuki – an animal rights activist who has been filming the whale with a drone every day since it became trapped on Christmas Eve – said fishermen had made only one brief attempt to release the animal, adding that its fate appeared to have been decided.

“It is difficult to guide the whale out of the nets and they don’t want to remove the nets as that would disrupt fishing and allow a large number of fish to escape, so my feeling is that they are going to kill it,” said Yabuki, campaign director of the Life Investigation Agency. ...

Georgie Dolphin, animal welfare programme manager at Humane Society International [HSI] in Australia, said the whale had become “increasingly distressed and agitated, ramming the nets and deep diving in an effort to escape”. “We fear time is now running out for the whale who will be getting weaker by the day. Intentionally subjecting these leviathans to prolonged suffering is inhumane and unjustified. HSI is hoping the Japanese authorities will insist on the immediate release of the whale.”

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Americans Have Found The Enemy, And It Is They

As Far Right Storms Capitol, Media Need to Look at Their Own Role in How We Got Here

Some U.S. Allies Expressed Concern About the Capitol Insurrection — and Others Did Not

To See Police Priorities, Contrast Capitol Mob With J20 and Black Lives Matter Protests

From Charlottesville to the Capitol: how rightwing impunity fueled the pro-Trump mob

Don't blame Trump for the chaos in Washington DC. Blame his enablers

'Anarchy in the USA': what the papers say about the storming of the US Capitol

Probe Demanded After Footage Shows Capitol Police Standing Aside for Pro-Trump Mob

Caitlin Johnstone: Stop Trivializing The Term ‘Coup’: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Black Woman 'Heartbroken' After Vicious Attack by Racist MAGA Mob in Downtown Los Angeles

Ratcheting Up Iran Tensions, US Flies B-52 Bombers to Persian Gulf

'A legend in her own right': Carolyn Franklin, Aretha's forgotten sister

US Capitol stormed: Confederate flags, viking tattoos, QAnon... Decoding the symbols

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A Little Night Music

Magic Slim - Get Your Business Straight

Magic Slim - Crazy Woman

Magic Slim - Magic Boogie

Magic Slim - Born On A Bad Sign

Magic Slim - I don't want no woman

Magic Slim - Look on yonder wall

Magic Slim & The Teardrops - Burn Down The Bridge, Born In Missouri

Magic Slim - Further On Up The Road

Magic Slim & The Teardrops