Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
January 15, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Evidence of planned attack on Capitol undercuts Dems' incitement claim . . . The Democratic impeachment claim that President Trump spurred the attack on the U.S. Capitol by whipping his supporters into a violent mob is coming under scrutiny as evidence mounts that the siege was not spontaneous but planned well in advance. The release of initial court documents show that at least two suspects arrived on or before Jan. 6 armed with explosives,
tactical gear and caches of weapons. Facebook has come under fire for failing to remove “Stop the Steal” pages allegedly used by organizers weeks and even months ahead of the rally. Also emerging are media reports that investigators believe the assault was coordinated and “not just a protest that spiraled out of control” and that the FBI knew beforehand of plans for a “war” at the Capitol. Washington Times
Could it be that the simple narrative - built by the Dems in collusion with the media, that it was 'evil' Trump-supporters riled up by the 'Instigator-in-Chief' himself - who conducted a deadly attack on the Capitol is yet another Soviet-style disinformation? Not sure yet. But at minimum, the events that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6 must be investigated thoroughly and in an unbiased way.
Black Lives Matter activist charged for participation in storming of the Capitol . . . A self-styled BLM activist who filmed himself encouraging the storming of the Capitol last week and was nearby when a police officer shot and killed a woman trying to climb through a window outside of the House speaker’s lobby was charged in federal court Thursday. John Sullivan, the founder of Insurgence USA and a leftist protest
organizer, was charged in an 18-page criminal complaint “one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds," among other things. He wore a ballistics vest and gas mask when he entered the Capitol through a broken window and pushed past U.S. Capitol Police once inside. Washington Examiner
Political warfare and subversion expert: 'I saw provocateurs at the Capitol' . . . The deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol bore the markings of an organized operation planned well in advance of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. A small number of cadre appeared to use the cover of a huge rally to stage its attack. Before it began, I saw from my vantage point on the West Front of the Capitol what appeared to be four separate cells or
units: Plainclothes militants; Agents-provocateurs; Fake Trump protesters; Disciplined, uniformed column of attackers. The Federalist
The author of this piece, J. Michael Waller, is an expert on political
warfare, psychological warfare, propaganda, and subversion. He was also my professor at the Institute of World Politics, a graduate school in Washington, DC, that specializes in national security and intelligence. Bottom line, the guy knows what he is talking about.
A third strain of COVID in US may be most contagious yet . . . Scientists from Southern Illinois University have identified a third US variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 — and it may be the most contagious strain yet, researchers said Thursday. The homegrown mutation, dubbed 20C-US, is believed to be responsible for up to 50 percent of all US cases — hitting the Midwest the hardest. “It’s here. We found it,” said Keith
Gagnon, an associate professor of biochemistry at SIU Carbondale. “It’s definitely home-grown and widespread.” Gagnon said he and his team traced the strain back to Texas, where it first appeared in May. The mutation has a keen ability to process viral proteins along with strong “RNA genome integrity,” the researchers said — making it frighteningly efficient at spreading. New York Post
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Biden inaugural rehearsal rescheduled, Amtrak trip canceled over security concerns . . . Security concerns in Washington, D.C., ahead of the scheduled inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden have resulted in some scheduling changes, Biden’s staff said Thursday. A planned rehearsal of the inauguration, initially scheduled for Sunday, has been moved to Monday as event planners continue to make adjustments in response to
the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. In addition, an Amtrak ride that Biden and members of his team planned to take from Wilmington, Del., to Washington on Monday has been canceled. Fox News
FBI tracking potential inauguration threats . . . FBI Director Chris Wray said Thursday that the bureau is seeing "an extensive amount of concerning online chatter" about events with the potential for violence surrounding next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. "Right now, we’re tracking calls for potential armed protests and activity leading up to the inauguration," Wray said at a briefing with Vice President Pence at the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. "We’re concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in D.C. and at state capital buildings around the country in the days to come that could bring armed individuals within close proximity to government buildings and officials." The Hill
Dozens on FBI terrorist watchlist in DC day of Capitol riot . . . Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington, D.C., the day a mob attacked the Capitol. The people were on the Terrorist Screening Database, a massive list kept by the government of people who have been flagged as potential security threats. The Hill
Twitter whistleblower leaks video of CEO telling staff actions will be much bigger than Trump ban . . . A leaked recording of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey suggests that the company's policy enforcement actions will go far beyond banning President Trump.
The right-wing guerilla news outlet Project Veritas released a clip on Thursday given to them by a purported Twitter "insider whistleblower" who secretly recorded remarks by Dorsey to staff. "We know we are focused on one account right now, but this is going to be much bigger than just one account, and it’s going to go on for much longer than just this day, this week, and the next few weeks, and go on beyond the inauguration," Dorsey said. Fox News
Ben Shapiro: Why most Republicans opposed impeachment . . . Many in the media seem bewildered that House Republicans didn’t unanimously join Democrats in supporting impeachment — after all, Republicans were in the building when rioters broke through, seeking to do them grievous physical harm. Opposition to impeachment comes from a deep and abiding conservative belief that members of the opposing political tribe want their destruction, not
simply to punish Trump for his behavior. Republicans believe that Democrats and the overwhelmingly liberal media see impeachment as an attempt to cudgel them collectively by lumping them in with the Capitol rioters thanks to their support for Trump. The evidence for that position isn’t difficult to find. Politico
More than 80 percent of Republicans still approve of Trump . . . The latest polling on President Trump, conducted after the riots that overran the Capitol, show President Trump is still wildly popular with Republicans. According to the YouGov poll of U.S. adults, taken January 10-12, 82 percent of Republicans view Trump favorably, including 57 percent who give him a “very favorable” review. Only 16 percent have an unfavorable opinion of
him. White House Dossier
Biden Labor Secretary Pick funneled $1.2 M into girlfriend's consulting firm . . . Boston mayor Marty Walsh (D.), President-elect Joe Biden's pick for labor secretary, funneled nearly $1.2 million into a consulting firm that employs his longtime girlfriend.
Walsh's mayoral campaign pushed the payments to LB Strategies, where his live-in girlfriend, Lorrie Higgins, works as a fundraising consultant. The firm received the cash through a contract that allows it to compensate its employees with the money. From 2013 to March 2019, Walsh's campaign sent a total of $888,750 to the firm. A review of state campaign finance records shows that since the time of the Globe's 2019 report and December 2020, LB Strategies received an additional $280,100
for fundraising consulting work, bringing its total windfall to more than $1.16 million. Washington Free Beacon?
Confirmation hearing for Biden's DNI pick postponed . . . The confirmation hearing of Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, has been postponed to next week, leaders on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said Thursday. The confirmation for Avril Haines had initially been scheduled for Friday and was planned to take place virtually.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), acting chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) released a joint statement referring to the postponement Thursday evening. “Despite the unusual circumstances on Capitol Hill, the committee is working in good faith to move this nominee as fast as possible and ensure the committee's members have an opportunity to question the nominee in both open and closed settings,” said the lawmakers. The Hill
This is the same lady who was hosting erotica readings in her book cafe in Baltimore. If confirmed, she will be leading 18 agencies of the US intelligence community. If Biden desperately needs a woman, to satisfy his 'diversity' quota, can't he borrow one of Romney's 'binders full of women' to find a more sensible choice ?
Biden picks former South Carolina Democratic Party chair Harrison to head DNC . . . President-elect Biden has picked former South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison to head the Democratic National Committee, Biden’s office said in a statement on Thursday. Harrison was a successful fundraiser as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, amassing a stunning $109 million war chest for his 2020 campaign
before ultimately losing his bid to unseat Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The current DNC chairman, Tom Perez, has said he would not seek another term. Reuters
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China building 'greatest expansion of a nuclear arsenal' since Cold War . . . China has rapidly expanded its nuclear and conventional missile forces over the past decade, nearly tripling its ballistic missile production capability and deploying a wide array of nuclear and conventional missile systems, according to an intelligence assessment released by the State Department.
The department also notified Congress on Thursday that it believes Beijing is close to violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by refusing to join the United States in nuclear arms reduction talks underway with Russia. Washington Times
US charges MIT professor with grant fraud over hidden Chinese ties . . . A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who specializes in nanotechnology research was arrested on U.S. charges that he failed to disclose his ties to the Chinese government when seeking federal grant money. Federal prosecutors in Boston on Thursday charged Gang Chen, a Chinese-born mechanical engineer and nanotechnologist, with defrauding the
U.S. Department of Energy when seeking grants and failing to disclose a foreign bank account on a tax return. Following his arrest, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed search warrants at his home in Cambridge and office at MIT, where he is the director of the MIT Pappalardo Micro/Nano Engineering Laboratory. Washington Free Beacon
Federal prosecutors hit MS-13 ‘Board of Directors’ with terror charges . . . Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have hit MS-13’s “board of directors” with terror charges — accusing the leaders of the notorious gang of ordering up scores of murders. The US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York on Thursday indicted the gang’s leaders for conspiracy to provide and conceal material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit
acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Prosecutors say they’re charging the 14 highest-ranking members of the transnational gang — 11 of whom are already behind bars, mostly in El Salvador. New York Post
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Indonesia quake kills at least 35, injures hundreds . . .A powerful earthquake killed at least 35 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi on Friday, trapping several under rubble and unleashing dozens of aftershocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami.
Thousands of frightened residents fled their homes for higher ground when the magnitude 6.2-quake struck 6 km (3.73 miles) northeast of the town of Majene, at a depth of just 10 km, shortly before 1.30 a.m. The quake and aftershocks damaged more than 300 homes and two hotels, as well as flattening a hospital and the office of a regional governor, where authorities told Reuters several people have been trapped under the rubble. Reuters
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Biden Proposes $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Package . . . President-elect is calling for a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan to help Americans weather the economic shock of the pandemic and pump more money into testing and vaccine distribution. Mr. Biden in a speech Thursday evening described his priorities related to the pandemic for the early days of his administration, pressing the often-divided Congress for urgent, unified
action. His plan calls for a round of $1,400-per-person direct payments to most households, a $400-a-week unemployment insurance supplement through September, expanded paid leave and increases in the child tax credit. Aid for households makes up about half of the plan’s cost, with much of the rest going to vaccine distribution and state and local governments. Wall Street Journal
Some businesses get unexpected boost during COVID . . . Some businesses — from bike shops to furniture stores to fitness companies — have gotten an unexpected boost amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered or slowed many enterprises across the country. Wolf Herrera-Davila, a mechanic at Germantown Cycles Bicycle Shop in Maryland, described the past year as “absolutely crazy,” with bikes being sold out and the shop seeing a
major boom in demand for repair services. At one point the shop had to stop taking service orders because the staff couldn’t handle the volume of requests, he said. Amid lockdown restrictions, biking became a popular, socially distanced activity. Washington Times
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Second Amendment-rights group booted out by Mailchimp . . . Mailchimp blocked Virginia's top gun-rights group from sending newsletters through its service for unspecified reasons. The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) announced Wednesday night that its account with the leading mass-distribution service had been suspended. The tech giant failed to provide any reason for the decision. The blackout has left the group
scrambling to find an alternative.
"There was no justification," Philip Van Cleave, the president of the VCDL, told the Washington Free Beacon. "They provided nothing. Basically, they just said we need to get our stuff and be prepared to move on." Washington Examiner
Another outrageous attack on one of the most fundamental freedoms that Americans cherish. VCDL consists of law-abiding citizens who are American patriots, fighting to preserve our Second Amendment rights. VCDL is holding its annual Lobby Day, a peaceful event, this coming Monday, January 18.
NY bill would make it first state to ban bulletproof vests . . . A New York lawmaker is attempting to seize body armor from civilians and would make it illegal to buy the protective gear in the state. The bill from assembly member Jonathan G. Jacobson (D.) would outlaw the sale and possession of body armor in the state of New York. The bill would require residents who own a bulletproof vest to turn them over to police within 15 days of
the bill becoming law. It would make New York the first state to ban the purchase or possession of bulletproof vests for law-abiding residents. If Jacobson's bill passes, it could be the start of a trend across other blue states to target the protective items even outside their use in any specific crime. Washington Free Beacon
But why would anyone even need a bulletproof vest? The social workers who will be dispatched to deal with violent criminals don't wear or need such vests.
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Venomous eastern brown snake found in family pool . . . A deadly eastern brown snake was discovered swimming inside the overflow channel of a family's pool located in the suburb of Marino in Adelaide, Australia.
Snake Catchers Adelaide, a group of professionally trained and licensed snake removers, took care of the venomous intruder and posted a video of the snake on Facebook. "This beautiful eastern brown found a nice place to cool down in the heat at Marino today. Too bad it was in the overflow channel of a family pool!" Snake Catchers Adelaide said alongside a video of the snake swimming.
The eastern brown snake is one of the most venomous snakes in the world that are native to eastern and central Australia. UPI
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Rebekah
Rebekah Koffler
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