Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
January 13, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
House expected to vote to impeach POTUS . . . The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach President Trump on Wednesday. The House voted late Tuesday to pass a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office, which was seen as symbolic.
Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be twice impeached. Five Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, announced they would vote to impeach Trump. Fox News
Pence rejects calls to invoke 25th Amendment to remove Trump . . . Vice President Pence on Tuesday rebuffed calls from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office. "I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution," Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night. "Last week, I did not
yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation," he added. The Hill
Chinese COVID tests were pushed by feds despite security warnings . . . At least two federal agencies worked to distribute Covid-19 tests from a Chinese genetics company, despite warnings about security risks from U.S. intelligence and security officials. In the early days of the virus, BGI Group or people trying to distribute its products approached at least 11 states in a sometimes aggressive push to get the
products into government-run laboratories or set up entire labs. BGI, China’s leading genetics company, enlisted a foundation tied to a former U.S. president and used a company linked to the United Arab Emirates’ top spy to promote its efforts. A prominent New York real-estate lawyer threatened to complain to California’s governor if state health officials there didn’t use BGI’s tests. Wall Street Journal
One can always count on the government "experts" to do the most sensible thing. If USG let Russian "anti-virus" software developed by a "former" KGB officer be installed on its systems, why not allow Chinese COVID test to detect Chinese virus that sickened millions of Americans?
New Study: COVID-19 transmission in schools is extremely rare . . . A new peer-reviewed study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that in-school transmission of COVID-19 is "extremely rare." In a collaborative study between Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, researchers discovered that among 11 school districts with nearly 100,000 staff and students, there were no instances of children passing the
coronavirus to adults during in-person instruction. The study concluded that "schools can stay open safely in communities with widespread community transmission." Washington Free Beacon
US to require negative COVID tests for arriving international air passengers . . . Nearly all air travelers will need to present a negative coronavirus test to enter the United States under expanded test testing requirements announced on Tuesday.
Under the rules taking effect Jan. 26, nearly all travelers including U.S. citizens must show a negative test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from COVID-19. All travelers aged 2 and older must comply except passengers who are only transiting through the United States. The CDC will also consider waivers of testing requirements for airlines flying to countries with little or no testing capacity, including some places in the Caribbean. Reuters
What Do masks really work? Can they help contain the spread of COVID-19? . . . Why does some data show that mask mandates in the U.S. and other countries did not prevent surges in COVID-19 cases? The Heritage Foundation's experts discuss these questions on “ The Daily Signal
Podcast.”
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Republicans are iffy on impeachment, ready to move on from Trump . . . Most congressional Republicans aren’t fans of impeachment, but they signaled Tuesday that they are not particularly eager to defend President Trump’s actions last week.
Democrats took the first steps toward impeachment, releasing a report laying out their official case for trying to oust the president from office before the change of power next week. They were also barreling toward passage of a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to trigger the 25th Amendment and try to sideline the president immediately, which they said would obviate the need for impeachment. Washington Times
Trump says "I kept promises" as he marks 450 miles of boarder wall . . . President Trump declared "I kept my promises" on Tuesday regarding his pledge to build a wall at the southern border. His statement was made to mark 450 miles of construction along the border as his administration continues to handle damage control because of the fallout from the riot at the Capitol last week.
"For years, politicians ran for office promising to secure the border – only to get elected and do the absolute exact opposite, they even promised a wall," he said in Alamo, Texas, where he signed a plaque on the wall. "But unlike those who came before me, I kept my promises. Today, we celebrate an extraordinary milestone: the completion of the promised 450 miles of border wall," he said. Fox News
Trump warns Biden on 25th Amendment: “Be careful what you wish for” . . . From remarks in Alamo, Texas near the Mexican border. White House Dossier
How long do you think it will take Kamala Harris to round up enough Cabinet members to declare Joe Biden mentally unfit?
Trump told Pence he could be a 'patriot' or 'p----' when overseeing election vote: report . . . President Trump told Vice President Pence he had a choice between being remembered by history “as a patriot … or as a p----” while attempting to pressure him to overturn the results of the presidential election. Ahead of last week’s joint session of Congress, where lawmakers would eventually certify President-elect Joe Biden as the victor,
Trump increasingly became wrongly convinced the vice president had the power to intervene in the counting of the vote. The two held a series of meetings leading up to Wednesday in which Trump repeatedly attempted to pressure Pence to attempt to override Biden’s victory. “You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a p----,” Trump said just before Pence headed to the Capitol on Wednesday. The Hill
That's him. Love him or hate him, Trump is a character.
Trump banned from YouTube . . . Google's YouTube has blocked President Donald Trump's official channel from uploading new content for at least a week, citing the potential for violence following the deadly Capitol siege. In a video of remarks made to reporters that was uploaded to Trump's YouTube channel Tuesday, the president said that impeaching him for inciting violence at the Capitol would be "very dangerous for the USA."
YouTube removed the video. USA Today
What also is dangerous, is that Big Tech is now waging war on freedom of speech, silencing Americans, who have freedom imprinted in their DNA. That is indeed, dangerous.
Talk radio owner threatens termination of conservative hosts who allege election fraud . . . A talk radio company employing some of the country's most popular right-leaning hosts is cracking down on narratives that suggest the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump. Cumulus Media, which employs Mark Levin and Dan Bongino, said in an internal memo last Wednesday that its hosts must try and calm down listeners and that any talk of
election fraud will end in potential termination. "We need to help induce national calm NOW," Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, said. "We will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.'" Washington
Examiner
Parler faces complex, costly rout to getting back online . . . Parler, the social network popular among conservatives and other right-leaning users that was plunged into internet limbo this week, faces a technically complex and costly path to getting back online.
Amazon.com Inc. booted the company from its cloud-computing service Sunday night, knocking Parler offline. To stay alive, the self-professed free-speech social platform must find a new vendor willing to host its data. Parler could build its own network infrastructure, although that approach could lead to further delays resuming its service. Potential cloud operators other than Amazon include Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Last week it pulled Parler from its app store, saying
some users’ content incited violence—the same argument Amazon made in withdrawing its service. Wall Street Journal
GoFundMe limits campaigns . . . GoFundMe and a lesser-known crowdfunding site, GiveSendGo, are undergoing changes after their services were used to raise money for people to attend what turned into an attack on the U.S. Capitol. GoFundMe confirmed it will block users from creating fundraisers to attend potentially violent political events, while GiveSendGo‘s founder said he took steps to avoid what he described as censorship. Washington Times
Disney, Walmart to block donations to Republican lawmakers . . . Disney and Walmart became the latest companies to announce they will halt any donations to lawmakers who objected to certifying the Electoral College results last week. The rebukes from the two giants marked the newest salvo in a burgeoning rebuke from corporate America against politicians looked to subvert the presidential election. Disney, the world’s
largest entertainment firm, said it would not make any donations in 2021 to those who voted against certifying the Electoral College’s results. The Hill
Joint Chiefs denounce 'sedition and insurrection' of Capitol attack . . . The United States’ top military officers on Tuesday condemned the “sedition and insurrection” that took place at the Capitol last week when supporters of President Trump overtook the building. “We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to
resort to violence, sedition and insurrection,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and the rest of the Joint Chiefs wrote in memo to the force. In addition to Milley, the memo was signed by Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marines Corps, Air Force, Space Force and National Guard. The Hill
Unprecedented. We already have intelligence that is politicized. Politicized military is the last thing America needs. Defense "nomenklatura' clearly are trying to make sure that they remain "hirable" by the Beltway Bandits, after they retire from their cushy government jobs.
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New Iranian bill vows Israel's destruction within 20 years . . . The Iranian parliament is debating a bill that pledges to destroy Israel within 20 years. The bill, which was introduced to the Iranian parliament on Dec. 30, includes the stated goal of destroying Israel by 2041. The "aggressor Zionist regime" poses a threat to Iran, according to the bill. The legislation would put additional pressure on Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei's government to ramp up its military operations against Israel and the United States. Washington Free Beacon
Let's make another deal with Iran, like Obama did. Maybe the Ayatollahs will stop hating us?
Pompeo: Iran is Al Qaeda's new home base . . .Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Tuesday that al Qaeda's number-two leader was killed last year in Iran, which Pompeo said has become the terror group's primary base of operations in recent years. "Al Qaeda has a new home base: the
Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said during a small gathering at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Al Qaeda leader Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who was on the FBI's most wanted list, was eliminated in the streets of Tehran in August of last year, Pompeo said. This is the first time the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged al-Masri's death. Washington Free Beacon
Syrian army says Israeli jets struck Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria . . . Syria said Israel bombed Iranian-backed militia bases near the Iraqi border in the early hours of Wednesday, in a raid which military defectors and Western intelligence sources said was one of Israel’s most extensive in recent months. Syrian news agency SANA and state media said Israel had struck sites in Al Bukamal, a border town on the Euphrates river which
lies on an important supply route, as well as areas in the province and city of Deir al Zor, where the militias have a heavy presence. Israel’s military did not immediately comment. Reuters
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Russian dissident blasts Twitter for Trump ban, says Twitter allows death threats he receives every day . . . Russian dissident Alexei Navalny offered a lengthy denunciation of Twitter’s decision to permanently ban President Trump saying that it appeared to be “based on emotions and personal
political preferences.” Navalny, a ferocious Kremlin critic, only narrowly survived after he was poisoned in August with the nerve agent Novichok by agents of Russian President Putin. “I think that the ban of Donald Trump on Twitter is an unacceptable act of censorship,” Navalny said in an 11 part Twitter thread. “Don’t tell me he was banned for violating Twitter rules. I get death threats here every day for many years, and Twitter doesn’t ban anyone (not that I ask for it).” New York Post
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Big Tech break-up push picks up bipartisan steam amid conservative crackdown . . . Momentum is building in Washington to break up Big Tech, including from Democrats, following the social media crackdown on President Trump and conservative voices. As the social media platform Parler on Tuesday pressed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, an antitrust hawk prepared to take the reins of a key Senate panel and an influential liberal
activist on the Biden transition team pushed Democrats to smash Amazon, Facebook and Google. Amazon Web Services’ decision to take Parler offline sent the anti-Big Tech social media platform scrambling. Washington Times
WhatsApp fights back as users flee to Signal, Telegram . . . Facebook is scrambling to deal with a sudden competitive threat to its messaging platform WhatsApp after a change to its terms of service sparked privacy concerns and prompted users to turn to rivals such as Signal and Telegram in droves. The encrypted messaging app, which has more than 2 billion users globally, and several of its senior executives spent Tuesday trying to
clarify forthcoming privacy policy changes covering the data that can be shared between WhatsApp and its parent now that it is deepening its push into ecommerce. Signal was downloaded 8.8m times worldwide in the week after the WhatsApp changes were first announced on January 4, versus 246,000 times the week before, according to data from Sensor Tower. The app also got a boost when Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, tweeted “Use Signal” on January 7. Financial Times
CZ in late stage talks to acquire Colt . . . Apparently struggling since emerging from bankruptcy in 2016, Colt has likely drawn the eye of potential buyers ever since. Now, thanks to CZ (Česká Zbrojovka) parent company CZ Group’s public filings, we know it is attempting to purchase all of Colt’s Manufacturing Company‘s assets and is well along in this process. …CZ is planning the complete takeover of the world-famous US company Colt –
including its Canadian subsidiary. The Truth About Guns
CZ, a Czech company, makes excellent firearms. Highly accurate and very comfortable, especially for beginners.
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Biden poised to name foreign policy expert as Asia tsar . . . Joe Biden is poised to name Kurt Campbell, a veteran foreign policy expert, to serve in the newly created role of Asia tsar, in a move designed to reflect the growing importance of US-China relations. The president-elect will announce his choice of Mr Campbell, a former top Pentagon official who also served as the top State department official for Asia during the
Obama administration, soon. The decision was partly taken because of the need to better integrate China policy across different government agencies with a veteran Asia expert at the helm. Mr Biden reportedly recognized that China was an issue that every government agency — not just the traditional foreign policy, defense and economic-related departments — would have to grapple with more than in the past. Financial Times
I thought Hunter Biden and Eric Swalwell have already accomplished quite some "integration" with China. Now the rest of USG agencies must be "integrated" too?
Biden's pick for Civil Rights Chief promoted racism and anti-semitism at Harvard . . . Kristen Clarke, President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, advanced pseudoscientific theories of black racial superiority and organized an event with a notorious anti-Semite as a student at Harvard University. Clarke and a coauthor outlined "the genetic differences between Blacks and whites" in a 1994 letter to
the editors of Harvard's student newspaper, which criticized the political scientist Charles Murray's book The Bell Curve. The genetic difference they identify, varying levels of melanin between whites and blacks, accounts for disparate cognitive abilities, physical power, and even spirituality, the pair said. The so-called melanin theory has no basis in science. "Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities—something which cannot be measured based on
Eurocentric standards," they wrote. Washington Free Beacon
Biden Labor Pick was once embroiled in Union extortion scandal . . . President-elect Joe Biden's pick for labor secretary was once caught on a wiretap admitting that he threatened a development company for refusing to use union workers. Biden chose Boston mayor Marty Walsh (D.) to lead the Department of Labor, praising the longtime union ally as a "good friend" and "stand up guy" in a Friday announcement. As head of Boston's Building
and Construction Trades Council, however, Walsh was ensnared in a federal probe alleging strong-arm tactics by union leaders. Federal agents captured Walsh on tape candidly discussing strong-arm tactics with a fellow local labor leader in October 2012. Washington Free Beacon
US Capitol Police intelligence chief warned Congress in July of right-wing attacks . . . The director of intelligence for the U.S. Capitol Police warned Congress in July that rebellion against COVID-19 precautions had accelerated violence by right-wing “revolutionary extremists,” according to congressional testimony. Four months before he joined the force, John K. Donohue, then a private security consultant, testified that the
country desperately needed a sophisticated social media early-warning system, akin to the U.S. nuclear missile launch detection capability, to prevent a catastrophe. Reuters
Gun-toting GOP Congresswoman, Capitol Police in standoff over her bag . . . House Democrats imposed a new rule Tuesday requiring all lawmakers to have to go through a metal detector to reach the chamber floor — and it immediately sparked a standoff with a freshman Republican who says she carries her own firearm with her. Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, didn’t want to turn over her handbag to be searched. She was blocked
from entering the House to vote during a debate on whether to try to oust President Trump. Washington Times
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A sharp-shooting game warden rescue deer with locked antlers . . . A Kansas game warden used his marksmanship to rescue two bucks with their antlers locked together by shooting an antler off without injuring either animal.
A bow hunter had reported the two deer with their antlers locked together in Jackson County.The game wardens located the bucks, but couldn't get too close because the animals still were struggling violently. Game warden Jeff Clouser was able to get a clear shot and used his gun to shoot an antler, breaking it and freeing the two deer. UP
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Rebekah
Rebekah Koffler
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