Oxygen scarcity drives up COVID death toll . . . As Covid-19 cases increase sharply in much of the world, a scarcity of oxygen is forcing hospitals to ration it for patients and is driving up the coronavirus pandemic’s death toll. From Brazil to Zambia, hospitals call for emergency resupplies; in some cases, patients suffocate.The problem is especially acute in the developing world, but has also hit hospitals in London and Los Angeles. Oxygen is a crucial treatment for Covid-19, a disease that attacks the lungs and starves the body of oxygen. Several studies have shown lower mortality rates and severity of the disease when oxygen treatment is started earlier, before levels in the blood get too low. Wall Street Journal

 

 

Planned Parenthood prepares for payday under Biden . . . Planned Parenthood stands to recover tens of millions of dollars in federal funding as the Biden administration moves to reverse Trump policies that cut off its access to taxpayer dollars. The organization lost $60 million in 2019 alone after withdrawing from the Title X Family Planning Program, which uses taxpayer funds for contraceptive services to low-income individuals. When the Trump administration changed the policy to exclude any organization that participates in abortion, Planned Parenthood withdrew from the program. Despite the revenue drop and the subsequent financial struggles of local affiliates, Planned Parenthood spent more than $27.4 million through a main super PAC during the 2020 election cycle. Washington Free Beacon

 

Biden Energy Pick Set to Make Millions from Prominent Energy Company . . . Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, President Joe Biden's pick for energy secretary, could pocket up to $5 million for stepping down from a prominent position with a Silicon Valley energy company. Granholm will relinquish her spot on the board of Proterra, an electric-vehicles manufacturer, if she is confirmed by Congress. She will also sell off all stocks in the company, resulting in a windfall. Disclosure forms show that Granholm's stock in Proterra is valued between $1 and $5 million. She will also divest from other energy companies, including First Solar, a solar-panel company, and Duke Energy, an electric company. These investments would bring Granholm an additional $2,000 to $30,000. Washington Free Beacon

 

 

Migrants Increasing at ‘Concerning Rate’ on Southern Border, Says CBP Agent . . . As caravans build up in Honduras, migrants are increasing at a “concerning rate” at the United States southern border, according to Matthew Hudak, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chief patrol agent of the Laredo sector in Texas. He warns that immigration is just a piece of the threat coupled with the pandemic health risk and other crimes along the border.
“Like everybody, we’re tracking the formation of these caravans in Central America,” said Hudak. The Laredo Sector is one of nine CBP sectors along the southern border. It contains about 135 miles of the international border with Mexico. The Epoch Times

 

 

Democrats Explore Using 14th Amendment ‘Insurrection’ Clause to Bar Trump From Future Office . . . Democrats are contemplating whether they can use the 14th Amendment to bar former President Donald Trump from ever taking office in the future, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said on Jan. 22. Section three of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, states that anyone guilty of “insurrection or rebellion” against the United States shall not be eligible to hold elective office in the United States. It allows for Congress to “remove such disability” with a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate. Epoch Times

 

McConnell privately asked by prominent establishment figures to convict Trump . . . Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly been lobbied by prominent Republicans and former White House officials to support impeaching former President Donald Trump. “Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,” a Republican member of Congress reportedly told CNN. “It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?” The CNN report said the lobbying for impeachment started in the House after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and began to focus on McConnell after the House’s impeachment vote. Daily Caller

 

 

Democrats question election results, voting machines . . . While Mr. Trump and his supporters have been explosively vocal about their distrust of the election system, discontent runs through a broad swath of voters from across the political spectrum.  Matt Luceen didn’t vote for former President Donald Trump in 2020, but he came to Washington last week to protest President Biden’s inauguration, saying the election was flawed. A supporter of Sen. Bernard Sanders, Mr. Luceen said “We don’t ever really put the paper into piles and count them by hand anymore.” The 34-year-old computer programmer stated “We just trust the machines, and we shouldn’t because we have documented proof that these machines are vulnerable.” Washington Times

 

 

 

 

THE GOVERNMENT IS WATCHING . . . Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) have purchased databases of U.S. smartphone location data in recent years without a warrant. DIA analysts have searched American location data five times in the past two-and-a-half years, according to the document released Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Oregon Democrat had asked the agency whether it was interpreting the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Carpenter v. United States to mean that obtaining data from a third-party broker rather than a phone company does not require a warrant. “DIA does not construe the Carpenter decision to require a judicial warrant endorsing purchase or use of commercially-available data for intelligence purposes,” the agency responded in the memo. The Hill

 

Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan airspace days after Biden takes office . . . China ratcheted up activity in Taiwan airspace on Sunday by flying 15 fighter jets between mainland Taiwan and the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea. The jets included six J-10 fighters, two SU-30s and other military planes. A day earlier, China flew eight bombers and four fighters into the same airspace. The show of force was seen by some observers as a remarkable step by Beijing during the first week of President Biden’s term in office. Fox News

 

China says Biden represents 'new window of hope' for relations with US . . . Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told state media outlet CGTN last week that "a new window of hope is opening" with the incoming administration. U.S.-China tensions have escalated under the Trump administration due to a years long trade war between the two countries amid U.S. accusations of intellectual property theft, cyberattacks, fentanyl exports to the U.S. and other crimes; and criticism related to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden will 'return to a sensible approach,' Wang Yi said. Fox News

 

 

 

China overtook US as world’s top destination for new foreign direct investment . . . New investments by overseas businesses into the U.S., which for decades held the No. 1 spot, fell 49% in 2020, as the country struggled to curb the spread of the new coronavirus and economic output slumped. China, long ranked No. 2, saw direct investments by foreign companies climb 4%. The 2020 investment numbers underline China’s move toward the center of a global economy long dominated by the U.S.—a shift accelerated during the pandemic as China has cemented its position as the world’s factory floor and expanded its share of global trade. Wall Street Journal

 

States push for allowing concealed carry of guns without permit . . . GOP lawmakers in multiple states are aiming to relax certain gun restrictions by allowing people to carry concealed firearms without having to obtain a permit, continuing a trend that many gun control advocates say is frightening. Fifteen states already allow concealed carry without a permit, and lawmakers in nine others have proposed allowing or expanding the practice. GOP governors are backing the changes in Utah and Tennessee. Another bill expanding permitless carry in Montana has passed the state House. The proposed changes come after gun sales hit historic levels last summer.  Fox News

 

Why NRA Filed A Long Shot Bankruptcy Bid With $50 Million In Net Assets . . . The National Rifle Association took the drastic step of filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to move to Texas as it faces ongoing litigation that could lead to the complete dissolution of the organization. The NRA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 15, but stressed it was in its “strongest financial condition in years.” The organization said it would utilize the bankruptcy filing to relocate from New York to Texas and to streamline business operations despite there being simpler, more common ways to achieve these goals. Daily Caller

 

 

Trump must get 72-hr warning if Treasury turns over his tax returns to Democrats: judge . . . The U.S. Treasury Department must grant former President Trump’s lawyers a 72-hour warning if it allows his tax returns to be released to Democrats, a judge ruled Friday. Democrats sued in federal court in a case that is still pending a year and a half later. Fox News

 

Biden tells freezing troops sleeping in garages to be patient until he can get them shopped to Iraq (SATIRE) . . . After national outrage in response to tens of thousands of National Guard troops being sent outside to sleep in freezing parking garages, Biden issued a statement begging the troops to be patient while he writes up the order to send them to much warmer climates in Iraq and Syria. "Listen, ya bunch of dumb pony soldiers," said Biden to a line of 3,000 soldiers waiting to use the bathroom. "I know you people are much better use to me when you're fighting some war in the Middle East. Hooah! Am I right? Don't worry. We'll get you off to Iraq soon. You won't be cold anymore, folks. It's 115 degrees there!" According to sources, the guardsmen were sent away from the Capitol Building after some politicians complained that they smelled weird and were holding scary-looking guns.  "We were nervous about all those scary-looking men lying around everywhere," said Senator Cory Booker. "One of them was reading an Ayn Rand book. It was terrifying. Please get these people shipped overseas as soon as possible." Babylon Bee