Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
February 5, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Nearly two-thirds of GOP voters would be likely to join a new Trump party . . . A majority of Republican voters would likely join a new political party if former President Donald Trump starts one, a national survey of Republicans found. Sixty-four percent of Republicans said they would be inclined toward joining a Trump-formed party like the “MAGA Party” or the “Patriot Party.” Among that figure, 32% said they would be very likely to join
one. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they would be either somewhat or very unlikely to leave the GOP. White House Dossier
Primary Challenges Proliferate Against Republicans Who Voted to Impeach Trump . . . Republican lawmakers who supported President Trump’s second impeachment start to attract primary challengers for 2022. Diante Johnson, an organizer with Black Voices for Trump last year and a field organizer with Trump’s 2016 campaign, has told associates he may launch a challenge to Rep. Adam Kinzinger, depending on how the district looks after Democratic-led
redistricting in the state this year. According to a person familiar with his thinking, Johnson is leaning toward launching a bid, motivated by Kinzinger’s vote to impeach Trump and his overall opposition to the former Republican president. Kinzinger has said he is at peace with the possibility that he could lose re-election over his Trump stance and launched a political-action committee to support fellow anti-Trump Republicans. Wall Street Journal
FDA gearing up for rapid review of potential COVID booster shots . . . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning a rapid review process for quick turnaround of new COVID-19 booster shots if variants of the coronavirus emerge against which the vaccines do not provide protection, the agency’s top official said on Thursday. Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the FDA, said that if new variants of the coronavirus emerge
that require booster shots or changes to vaccines, the agency will not require the type of large trials that were required for emergency use authorization or approval. Reuters
Countdown to 'catastrophe:' Inside Europe's fight for COVID shots . . . In a meeting last week in the Europa building in Brussels, home of the European Union’s political leadership, diplomats for the 27 member states were desperate. The EU had paid billions of euros toward shots to curb a pandemic that was killing thousands of Europeans every day. Now vaccine-makers had cut back deliveries, and the EU was trapped in a public fight.
“This is a catastrophe,” French ambassador Philippe Leglise-Costa told the Jan. 27 meeting, according to a diplomatic note seen by Reuters. Reuters
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Senate forges ahead with $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief . . . The Senate early Friday morning moved forward with a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package after a marathon voting session on resolutions attached to the bill. The reconciliation procedure used by Democrats to pass President Biden’s plan allowed for an unlimited number of resolutions to be considered in the Senate. One of the amendments proposed by Republicans would
prevent Congress from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour during the pandemic. New York Post
Eleven GOP members who voted to remove Greene from House committees . . . Eleven House Republicans joined all Democrats on Thursday to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of her committee assignments for embracing conspiracy theories and political violence — a figure much higher than expected heading into the unusual vote. While the vast majority of House Republicans rallied behind Greene in the day’s extraordinary debate, the 11
defectors represent a figure similar to that of last month’s vote to impeach former President Trump. That short list included Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and John Katko (N.Y.). See the rest of the list at The Hill
Democratic senator demands Rand Paul wear a mask on Senate floor . . . Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Thursday demanded in front of the entire Senate that his colleague Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wear a mask in the chamber, where senators were massed for a long series of votes on the budget resolution.
When Paul stood up to ask that each vote be limited to 10 minutes, Brown objected and demanded that the libertarian-leaning Republican wear a mask in the chamber. Instead, Paul, remaining maskless, sat down next to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) for the remainder of the vote to chat. Paul, who tested positive for COVID-19 in March, doesn’t wear a mask. He argues that people who have recovered from the disease are immune. The Hill
Trump rejects request for testimony in Senate impeachment trial . . . Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have rejected House Democrats’ request for the former president to testify under oath in a Senate impeachment trial that will start in earnest next week. Jamie Raskin, the House Democrat who will prosecute the case as lead impeachment manager, sent a letter to Mr Trump and his lawyers on Thursday requesting that he provide
testimony under oath, either before or during the trial, which is set to start on Tuesday. Mr Trump’s lawyers, Bruce Castor Jr and David Schoen, declined the request within hours, accusing the congressman of a “public relations stunt”. Financial Times
Pence to Join Heritage Foundation, Write Column for Daily Signal . . . Former Vice President Mike Pence will be joining The Heritage Foundation as a distinguished visiting fellow. “The Heritage Foundation is a flagship of the conservative movement and I am profoundly honored to join them as a distinguished visiting fellow to advance conservative solutions that will benefit every American,” Pence, who left office on Jan. 20, said in a
statement. In the new role, Pence will advise Heritage Foundation experts on public policy issues, deliver a series of speeches on policy solutions, and write a monthly column for The Daily Signal, the think tank’s multimedia news outlet. Daily Signal
Mike Pence is starting a podcast . . . The former vice president will launch a podcast in the coming months hosted by the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth organization dating back to the1960s. Pence will join YAF as the group’s first Ronald Reagan presidential scholar, and is expected to become a regular member of its campus lecture circuit once it is safe to resume such events, which have been halted by the Covid-19
pandemic. The latest gig is an effort to smooth his transition back into the upper ranks of the conservative movement. Hosting a podcast won’t be an entirely new venture for Pence, who is 61. A former Indiana governor, he spent a decade prior to his 2000 election to Congress as a prominent conservative radio personality in the Midwest. Politico
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Biden Issues Warnings on Crises in Myanmar, Russia . . . President Biden on Thursday issued sharp warnings over developments in Russia and Myanmar and said he would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and emphasize multilateral agreements and human rights. In his first foreign policy speech as president, Mr. Biden declared a shift in several policy priorities overseas, including a halt to U.S. support for
offensive operations in Yemen, an increase in the number of refugee admissions, and a freeze on troop withdrawals from Germany. Wall Street Journal
Border Patrol Agents Arrest 11 Iranians in Arizona Who Illegally Entered US . . . The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said its agents arrested a group of 11 Iranians who illegally entered the United States. Border Patrol agents saw the group near San Luis, Arizona, on a bridge and then “determined the group had illegally crossed the international border into the United States. The group was arrested and taken to Yuma Station for
processing,” according to the agency news release. “The five females and six males are were [sic] all from Iran, a Special Interest Country.” The agency said that Yuma Sector agents “regularly encounter people from all over the world,” including so-called “Special Interest Countries.” Epoch Times
Border Patrol Releases More Migrants Into US After Mexico Stops Taking Some Back . . . U.S. Border Patrol agents are increasingly releasing asylum-seeking families into the U.S. after Mexican authorities began refusing to take some families back in January, U.S. officials said. In recent weeks, an influx of families arriving along parts of the border has filled some holding facilities, where capacity has been reduced in response to
the Covid-19 pandemic, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. CBP said the Biden administration will continue using what legal authorities it has to keep migrants out of crowded detention facilities during the pandemic. Wall Street Journal
Biden will raise cap on refugee admissions to 125,000 . . . Joe Biden announced Thursday he plans to increase the cap on the number of refugees allowed into the US after his predecessor Donald Trump slashed it dramatically while in office. Biden aims to raise the refugee cap to 125,000 — a stark rise from Trump’s 15,000 refugee limit last year — starting Oct. 1. “I’m approving an executive order to begin the hard work of
restoring our refugee admissions program to help meet the unprecedented global need,” the president said in a speech at the State Department. “It’s going to take time to rebuild what has been so badly damaged.” New York Post
What about helping his fellow Americans whose jobs have been shipped to China and India for decades, families ruined by the Big Farma-fed opioid addiction crisis, and small businesses devastated as a result of the Wuhan virus pandemic?
US ex-cyber chief calls for military to attack hackers . . . The former US government cyber security chief has called for the military to target organized criminal gangs of hackers who launch ransomware attacks on companies and governments. Chris Krebs, the ex-head of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told the Financial Times the country needed to be more aggressive in hitting back against hackers who hold
organizations to ransom by encrypting their data systems and demanding a fee to unfreeze them. He suggested military cyber attackers could try to deter gangs using ransomware by publishing their private details, a tactic known as doxing. Financial Times
There's an idea.
Biden: US taking 'urgent' steps to improve cybersecurity . . .
President Biden said Thursday that his administration is launching an “urgent initiative” to improve the nation’s cybersecurity, pointing to concerns around malign efforts by Russia and China. “We’ve elevated the status of cyber issues within our government,” Biden said as part of a national security speech at the State Department. “We are launching an urgent initiative to improve our capability, readiness and resilience in cyberspace.” The Hill
Putin responded by directing the GRU and SVR to halt all cyber intelligence operations against American targets immediately. Xi is shaking in his boots.
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Iranian Diplomat Sentenced to 20 Years for Foiled Bomb Plot in France . . . A Belgian court sentenced an Iranian diplomat to 20 years in prison for plotting a bomb attack against a gathering of Iranian dissidents outside Paris in 2018, in a case that has strained Tehran’s ties with Europe. Assadollah Assadi, a counselor at Iran’s embassy in Vienna, was Thursday convicted of organizing the foiled attack that targeted a
rally held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella opposition group dominated by the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, or MEK. The court in Antwerp concluded that Iranian state intelligence had ordered the plot. Wall Street Journal
This is the kind of Iranian "diplomats" Uncle Joe will be practicing the 'art of his deal' with.
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Unemployment aid not reaching millions of out-of-work Americans: study . . . Congressional Democrats are trying to fast-track a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief proposal that would extend the existing supplemental unemployment benefits, but new research suggests that the jobless aid is not reaching millions of out-of-work Americans. At most, just 30% of unemployed individuals are being reached by the unemployment system,
according to a report published this week by a labor economist at the University of Illinois. That means roughly three out of every four jobless workers aren't receiving aid — or about 8 million of the 11 million people counted as unemployed in December. "This means that the unemployment insurance system is not reaching the bulk of individuals who are out of work," the author wrote. Fox Business
National Guard deployment at US Capitol costing nearly $500M . . . Deploying thousands of National Guardsmen at the U.S. Capitol through mid-March is costing nearly $500 million, a defense official confirmed to The Hill. Thousands of guardsmen from all 50 states, three territories and D.C. poured into Washington following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Hill
Those comfy parking garage accommodations arranged by the government nomenklatura for our brave service men and women must have really added up.
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My Pillow CEO planning 3-hour movie about purported 'theft' of 2020 election . . . Michael J. Lindell, founder and CEO of the embattled My Pillow bedding company, said he plans to release a three-hour movie Friday about purported fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In interviews promoting the film called “Absolute Proof,” Wednesday, Mr. Lindell claimed he made it after receiving “100% proof” that
President Trump was defeated in November’s race due to an alleged Chinese cyberattack. Washington Times
Mike Lindell is not the one to give up the pillow fight.
Florida Takes Aim at 'Big Brother' Tech Giants . . . Political leaders in Florida are taking steps to rein in the power of major technology companies. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and several of his state’s Republican legislative leaders this week announced legislation that would prevent Twitter, Facebook (and its subsidiary Instagram), Google, Amazon, and Apple from censoring content or selling users’ data in the Sunshine State.
“Floridians should have the privacy of their data and personal information protected, their ability to access and participate in online platforms protected, and their ability to participate in elections free from interference from Big Tech protected,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday press conference. The GOP governor condemned control of the information flow across the world by the tech companies. Daily Signal
Bongino: Parler to be back online Monday . . . Parler, the social media platform that was forced offline by Amazon following the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, could be up and running again early next week, co-owner Dan Bongino told "Hannity" Thursday. "We're shooting for Monday," said Bongino, who is also a Fox News contributor. "Monday looks good. Fingers crossed." Fox News
University of Michigan Demands $1,200 for Documents Related to China-funded program . . . The University of Michigan refused to turn over public documents related to its $25 million research partnership with China unless it receives more than $1,200 in fees, an "extreme" request that experts said prevents transparency. The Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation (BICI) offers robotics and technology researchers
millions in funding as well as priority access to the Chinese market. The Washington Free Beacon filed a Freedom of Information Act request for specific documents associated with the lucrative program in January. The taxpayer-funded university, however, demanded $1,204 in fees before releasing the documents. Washington Free Beacon
GOP Congressman Considers Suit Over ‘Unconstitutional’ House Gun Ban . . . Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas) said he is weighing whether to take legal action against the "unconstitutional" metal detectors and fines instituted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) to stop members from carrying guns on the House floor. "It's an outrage. I believe it deprives us of our Second Amendment right to defend ourselves," Roy said. "On January 6, I was
sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives. The only thing between me and an angry mob was a handful of Capitol Hill police officers who had their hands full." He said the deadly violence of that day demonstrates the need for members to be able to protect themselves even on the House floor. Washington Free Beacon
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New Zealand cactus smuggler strapped plants to her body . . . Bio-security officials in New Zealand said a woman caught attempting to smuggle more than 1,000 succulents and endangered cacti into the country was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. The Ministry for Primary Industries said Wenqing Li, 38, of Auckland, was accused of attempting to smuggle cacti and succulents into New Zealand from China on two
separate occasions. The ministry said Li returned to Auckland International Airport from a China trip in March 2019 with 947 plants concealed in stalkings and strapped to her body. She fled to a bathroom when she attracted the attention of a police dog and attempted to dispose of the items, which included eight endangered and threatened species and was worth an estimated $7,200. Authorities recovered a "large amount" of plant materials from the bathroom. UPI
Outch.
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Rebekah Koffler
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