Representative Dean Phillips describes the day that ‘changed him’ after a pro-Tump mob overran police and reached the doors of the House chamberIt was a visceral cry at the moment of maximum peril for American democracy.A furious mob had overrun police and was nearly at the door of the House of Representatives. Inside the chamber, Republican Paul Gosar was launching a spurious challenge to Joe Biden’s election victory in Arizona. Continue reading...
Finders Keepers lawsuit seeks confirmation that agency found trove in Pennsylvania after father-son team suggested locationTreasure hunters who believe they found a huge cache of fabled US civil war-era gold in Pennsylvania are now on the prowl for something as elusive as the buried booty itself: government records of the FBI’s excavation.Finders Keepers, a lost treasure locate and recovery service, filed a federal lawsuit against the justice department over its failure to produce documents on the FBI’s search for the legendary gold, which took place nearly four years ago at a remote woodland site in north-western Pennsylvania. Continue reading...
Despite having fled the mob on 6 January, many congressmen are openly fleeing the truth about what happened that dayWhen the insurrectionists of 6 January rampaged through the Capitol, congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia helped barricade a door, and he fled when the rest of Congress did. A photograph shows him looking panicky, mouth wide open and arm gesticulating wildly, behind what appears to be a security team member with a gun drawn, defending him. But a few months later he declared: “Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes, taking videos, pictures. You know, if you didn’t know the TV footage was a video from 6 January, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.”Clyde’s account of 6 January might be a little more preposterous than those of his fellow Republican legislators. But they all joined him in pretending nothing much had happened and objecting to the investigation of the day’s events. After all, they were partly responsible, most of them. It was elected Republicans who supported and spread the earlier lies that Donald Trump had won the election, the lies that fed the insurrection; and then they lied some more about their own words and actions before, during and after. In the immediate aftermath, the then Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, was angry and shaken, declaring: “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president.” Then he too began the project of walking it all back.Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist. Her most recent books are Recollections of My Nonexistence and Orwell’s Roses Continue reading...
Mark and Patricia McCloskey seek return of AR-15-style rifle and semi-automatic pistol after it emerged authorities had not yet destroyed themMark and Patricia McCloskey, a Missouri couple who became famous for pointing guns at protesters marching for racial justice in 2020, are trying to get their firearms back after it emerged the city of St Louis had not yet destroyed them.Mark McCloskey, who was pardoned after pleading guilty to weapons charges, sued St Louis, the city sheriff and the state to retrieve the guns and told a court hearing on Wednesday that the pardons also entitled the couple to a refund of their fines. Continue reading...
Investigation finds police used an ‘improper ruse’ and exacerbated an already volatile situation, but consequences are unlikelySeattle police exchanged detailed fake radio transmissions about a nonexistent group of menacing right-wing extremists at a crucial moment during the 2020 racial justice protests, an investigation by the city’s police watchdog group shows.The radio chatter about members of the Proud Boys marching around downtown Seattle, some possibly carrying guns and then heading to confront protesters on Capitol Hill was an improper “ruse”, or dishonest ploy, that exacerbated a volatile situation, the Seattle Times reported. That’s according to findings released Wednesday by the city’s Office of Police Accountability (OPA). Continue reading...
by David Smith Washington bureau chief on (#5TQ47)
President will lead sombre commemorations in Washington of deadly assault on US democracyIt was a day that shook America. Joe Biden will lead sombre commemorations on Thursday to mark one year since the US Capitol insurrection that left five people dead and the nation’s democracy wounded, and is expected to lay out the “singular responsibility” that Donald Trump has for the “chaos and carnage” of that day.In a speech, Biden will directly address the former president’s role in the attack and his attempts since to distract from or downplay events, the White House said. Continue reading...
Partial remains of adult discovered south of Boulder but experts say tally of two missing is strikingly low for a blaze of this ferocityInvestigators have found partial human remains in an area near the suspected origin of the destructive Colorado blaze that broke out last Thursday.In a statement on Wednesday, the Boulder county sheriff’s office said investigators located partial human remains of an adult in the Marshall area south of Boulder. Continue reading...
Attorney general says justice department has ‘no higher priority’ and promises further actions over ‘assault on our democracy’The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, on Wednesday vowed that the justice department would hold accountable all those responsible for the deadly 6 January attack, whether they were physically present at the Capitol or not.Garland’s remarks come as he faces growing calls from lawmakers, legal experts and former elected officials to intensify the department’s investigation into the events of Capitol assault, and in particular to prosecute those who helped orchestrate the failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, including Donald Trump and his associates. Continue reading...
Maxwell’s legal team says they believe a new trial is warranted following revelations about jurorProsecutors in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial on Wednesday asked the judge for an “inquiry” after a juror said in recent post-trial media interviews that he was a victim of sexual abuse.Maxwell’s legal team said they believe a new trial is warranted following revelations about this juror.With additional reporting from Edward HelmoreInformation and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...
The legislation is modeled after a first-in-the-nation New York law that declares such violations a ‘public nuisance’Some Democratic California lawmakers want to make it easier for people to sue gun companies for liability in shootings that cause injuries or deaths, a move advocates say is aimed at getting around a US law that prevents such lawsuits and allows the industry to act recklessly.In general, when someone is injured or killed by gunfire it’s very hard for the victim or their family to hold the gun manufacturer or dealer responsible by suing them and making them pay damages. A federal law prevents most of those types of lawsuits. Continue reading...
Lawrence N Brooks served in the mostly black 91st engineer general service regiment and was discharged in August 1945Lawrence N Brooks, the oldest second world war veteran in the US – believed to be the oldest man in the country – died on Wednesday at the age of 112.His death was announced by the National WWII Museum and confirmed by his daughter. Continue reading...
Plessy’s act of civil disobedience led to court decision that legalized ‘separate but equal’ doctrine and ushered in Jim Crow eraIn front of the old New Orleans train station where, in 1892, Homer Plessy engaged in a trailblazing act of civil disobedience that led to the landmark Plessy v Ferguson supreme court decision, Louisiana’s governor stood 130 years later and issued a posthumous pardon to the late civil rights pioneer.Beneath a grey sky and in a ceremony laced with symbolism and repentance, Governor John Bel Edwards signed the pardon for Plessy, a Creole man of color who purchased a ticket for a whites-only train cabin and was subsequently arrested for violating Louisiana’s Separate Car Act. Continue reading...
Targeted historically Black colleges and universities spanned six states and DC as police warned that at least one had been ‘very real’At least seven historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the United States received back-to-back bomb threats this week, forcing students to evacuate or shelter in place while authorities investigated.The threats come amid a dramatic rise in bombings in the US and follow bomb threats at other US colleges last November. Continue reading...
On the anniversary of the US Capitol riot, the danger is not over. Republicans are stepping up their assault upon voters’ rights and essential institutionsThe threat to American democracy may be greater today than when the insurrectionist mob swept into the US Capitol one year ago, attempting to prevent the peaceful transfer of power following a free and fair election. Joe Biden is ensconced in the White House and with the passage of time, the shock of their lethal assault has faded. But if the danger appears less immediate, addressing it is no less urgent.We know more than we did a year ago about the full violence and menace of the riot, and about what preceded it – including the PowerPoint presentation turned over by Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, detailing ways to stage a coup. Rioters have been jailed, but so far no case has been brought against those who encouraged and incited them. Mr Trump himself has resurged, with a cult-like grip upon his party. He and his allies have longer to plan for this year’s midterms and 2024. State legislatures are constructing an election-stealing machine. In short: 6 January was not an end, but a beginning. Continue reading...
German shepherd Tinsley led New Hampshire police to owner and passenger after truck crashed off highway in freezing conditionsNew Hampshire police officers were engaged in a low-speed dog-chase on a highway along the state’s border with Vermont when they discovered that a real-life Lassie was leading them to rescue two men thrown from a truck and suffering from hypothermia.The driver, Cam Laundry, 31, and his passenger, Justin Connors, 40, were found injured but alive on Monday thanks to Tinsley, Laundry’s canine companion. Another dog, Connors’ bulldog, was hit by a car and found dead on the side of the road after the accident. Continue reading...
Axios-Momentive poll also finds majority of Americans fear repeat of Capitol attack in next few yearsMore than 40% of Americans still do not believe that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud, according to a new Axios-Momentive poll.The poll, released on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, found that 55% of those surveyed believe Biden won the election. That figure has barely changed since Axios’s poll from 2020, published shortly before the insurrection. That poll, published in 2020, found 58% said that they accepted Biden as the legitimate winner of the presidential election. Continue reading...
Average of 672 children being hospitalized every day in the US as of 2 January, fueled by the Omicron variant and the holidaysCovid-19 hospitalizations among children in the US are soaring, fueled by the Omicron variant and the holidays, and adding pressure to already-strained health systems and schools.An average of 672 children were being hospitalized every day in the US, as of 2 January - more than double the average just a week before. And the rate is rapidly increasing. Continue reading...
Union called for remote instruction until ‘cases substantially subside’ or leaders approve an agreement for safety protocolsLeaders of Chicago public schools canceled classes on Wednesday after the teachers’ union voted to switch to remote learning due to the surge in Covid cases, the latest development in an escalating battle over pandemic safety protocols in the nation’s third-largest school district.Chicago has rejected a districtwide return to remote instruction, saying it was disastrous for children’s learning and mental health. But the union argued the district’s safety protocols are lacking and both teachers and students are vulnerable. Continue reading...
The ‘big, beautiful wall’ has kept US citizens away from the no man’s land it created – and in effect ceded territory to MexicoSeveral miles south of the small town of San Juan, Texas, beyond acres of onion fields, orange groves and other cash crops sits a historic cemetery and the site of the beginning of a slow decay of American soil.I hadn’t been to this area for more than a year because of the pandemic, and I was startled at how different this remote part of Texas had become. The most obvious change is the steel 18ft-high bollard fencing, among the last vestiges of Donald Trump’s glorious border wall with Mexico. Continue reading...
Laura Russo, who teaches on Long Island and is not a trained medical professional, faces up to four years in prisonA New York biology teacher is facing up to four years in prison for allegedly giving a Covid-19 vaccine to a 17-year-old boy against his mother’s wishes – and despite not being a trained medical professional with authorization to do so.Laura Russo, who teaches at Herricks high school on Long Island, reportedly administered the jab to one of her son’s friends after he asked for it. The teen’s mother had not wanted him to be inoculated against the deadly virus and did not consent to the injection. Continue reading...
If we are to stand any chance in avoiding climate breakdown, Biden needs to act decisively – and nowA few days before Christmas, Joe Manchin appeared on Fox News to publicly retract his support for the Build Back Better Act. Even by the pathologically callous standards of Washington, it felt surreal to watch a politician jeopardize tens of millions of lives in a single 10-minute interview. But the stakes of his decision remain clear: without the act, the United States will fall far short of its climate goals, making a century of ecological collapse, economic devastation and civilizational upheaval not only more likely, but increasingly unavoidable.In the wake of the announcement, despair flickered across the internet. Friends called me in tears. My generation has watched our government fail again and again to enact meaningful federal climate legislation. But this latest betrayal is almost too much to bear. It feels like we are being forced to say goodbye: to our democracy, to our future, to the world we were told we’d inherit.Daniel Sherrell is the author of Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World (Penguin Books) and a climate activist Continue reading...
My lab has found significant microclot formation in long Covid patients. Unfortunately, these are missed in routine blood testsOne of the biggest failures during the Covid-19 pandemic is our slow response in diagnosing and treating long Covid. As many as 100 million people worldwide already suffer from long Covid. That staggering number will eventually be much higher, if we take into account that diagnoses are still inadequate, and that we still do not know what the impact of Omicron and future variants will be.Patients with long Covid complain of numerous symptoms, the main ones being recurring fatigue and brain fog, muscle weakness, being out of breath and having low oxygen levels, sleep difficulties and anxiety or depression. Some patients are so sick that they cannot work or even walk a few steps. There is possibly also an elevated risk of stroke and heart attacks. One of the biggest sources of concern is that even mild and sometimes asymptomatic initial Covid-19 infection may lead to debilitating, long-term disability. Continue reading...
The government is finally taking the threat of far-right militia groups seriously. But the larger threat are the Republican legislators who continue to recklessly undermine democracyOne year ago, he was frantically barricading the doors to the House gallery to keep out the violent mob. Today, he calls the insurrection a “bold-faced lie” and likens the event to “a normal tourist visit”. The story of Andrew Clyde, who represents part of my – heavily gerrymandered – liberal college town in the House of Representatives, is the story of the Republican party in 2021. It shows a party that had the opportunity to break with the anti-democratic course under Donald Trump, but was too weak in ideology and leadership to do so, thereby presenting a fundamental threat to US democracy in 2022 and beyond.Clyde is illustrative of another ongoing development, the slow but steady takeover of the Republican party by new, and often relatively young, Trump supporters. In 2015, when his massive gun store on the outskirts of town was still flying the old flag of Georgia, which includes the Confederate flag, he was a lone, open supporter of then-presidential candidate Trump, with several large pro-Trump and anti-“fake news” signs adorning his gun store. Five years later, Clyde was elected to the House of Representatives as part of a wave of Trump-supporting novices, mostly replacing Republicans who had supported President Trump more strategically than ideologically.Cas Mudde is Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, the author of The Far Right Today (2019), and host of the podcast Radikaal. He is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Arguments come day after unsealing of 2009 Epstein settlement. Plus, how to smash your 2022 goalsGood morning.Lawyers for Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, who has long accused the royal of sexual abuse, finally faced off in Manhattan federal court yesterday, as he attempted to dismiss her civil lawsuit.Will the settlement agreement protect Prince Andrew? It’s too early to say but the judge did say, apparently speaking rhetorically: “The only people who could enforce it were Epstein and Giuffre.”When will the judge make a decision? Kaplan promised “a decision pretty soon”.Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is facing criticism for trying to use the clause to protect himself.What is the Insurrection Index? It’s an initiative that seeks to identify all those who supported Trump in his attempt to hold on to power despite losing the election, in the hope that they can be held accountable.How will the anniversary of the 6 January attack be marked? Joe Biden will mark the first anniversary of the deadly assault at the US Capitol this Thursday by honoring the bravery of law enforcement and will “speak to the truth of what happened”. Continue reading...
Fans have been treated to more regular-season games this season. Whether that has provided more entertainment is up for debateAlvin Kamara, the versatile running back for the New Orleans Saints, went a little ballistic in March after he found out that the NFL was about to add a 17th game to the regular season. Kamara tapped out a four-word tweet: Two were curses, and a third was “dumb”.Even though the NFL agreed to pony up a bigger share of its revenue to the players, Kamara and many others were not so keen on a 17-game regular season, because they’d be expected to actually play in them (the players’ union passed the new schedule by just 60 votes). A 16-game schedule was already punishing enough. Continue reading...
Insurrection Index identifies those who acted as accomplices by participating in 6 January attack or spreading Trump’s ‘big lie’More than 1,000 Americans in positions of public trust acted as accomplices in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election result, participating in the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January or spreading the “big lie” that the vote count had been rigged.The startling figure underlines the extent to which Trump’s attempt to undermine the foundations of presidential legitimacy has metastasized across the US. Individuals who engaged in arguably the most serious attempt to subvert democracy since the civil war are now inveigling themselves into all levels of government, from Congress and state legislatures down to school boards and other local public bodies. Continue reading...
A year ago, it seemed as though the Republican party might snap out of its love affair with the former president. Not soWhether it was praising white supremacists, siding with Vladimir Putin or suggesting bleach as a coronavirus cure, there was nothing that Donald Trump could do to make the Republican party fall out of love with him.Then came 6 January, and – for a brief moment – it seemed that was no longer true. Continue reading...
I felt positively smug after our journey from New York to London. I should have recognised it was just beginner’s luckOn New Year’s Eve, my wife and I locked ourselves in a tiny British Airways bathroom and frantically pulled off items of clothing. It would have been a pretty exciting way to see off 2021, were it not for the fact that the clothes belonged to our seven-month-old, who had decided to do an enormous poo at 30,000 feet.I had had a little chat with the child before the flight and told her Mummy and Mummy would appreciate it if she held off on any major bowel movements while we were in the air, but she didn’t cooperate. Babies, I have learned, are not very good at listening. Continue reading...
James Williams was said to be taking part in local tradition of firing celebratory shots when killed by officer in CantonThe wife of an Ohio man fatally shot by police minutes into the new year has said he had been firing an assault-style rifle to celebrate the arrival of 2022 when an officer opened fire without warning.Marquetta Williams told the Repository newspaper her 46-year-old husband, James, was using an AR-15 rifle that belonged to her to fire celebratory shots early on Saturday outside their home in Canton. Continue reading...
Professor Amy Wax of the University of Pennsylvania’s law school made racist remarks about ‘Asian elites’ and immigrationThe dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s law school has condemned one of his school’s own professors for making racist remarks about Asians, saying that their recent comments were “xenophobic and white supremacist”.Professor Amy Wax, who specializes in social welfare law and labor and family economics law, appeared as a guest on economist Glenn Loury’s podcast when she called the influx of “Asian elites” into the United States problematic and made other racist statements, including a call for less immigration from Asian countries. Continue reading...
President will honor police in his remarks while Republicans voiced concerns about Trump overshadowing the somber dayJoe Biden will mark the first anniversary of the deadly assault at the US Capitol this Thursday by honoring the bravery of law enforcement on the scene, and outlining the unfinished work the nation needs to do to strengthen its democracy, the White House said in its first preview of the president’s remarks.“On Thursday, the president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” the White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...
by Dani Anguiano in Los Angeles and Johana Bhuiyan on (#5TNRF)
Officers in a San Francisco Bay area city stopped the driver because the rental company had reported his car as stolenNewly released video footage appears to show California police officers using a law enforcement dog to severely maul an Uber driver, who fell behind on payments for the car he rented to do his job.San Ramon police stopped Ali Badr, a 42-year-old Egyptian immigrant, in December 2020 after a rental company reported his vehicle as stolen. In footage obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, police in the Bay Area city can be seen releasing the dog on the unarmed and barefoot driver without warning within seconds of stopping him, even though Badr was not resisting. Continue reading...
The telecom companies have agreed to push back the roll-out of their 5G services over concerns it will affect airplane securityLate Monday, Verizon and AT&T agreed to a two-week delay rolling out their new 5G technology.The technology was slated to launch on Wednesday, but in response to fears that the 5G service will impact airline safety – and amid threats from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground or divert flights at a time when the travel industry is already playing catch-up from recent weather and Covid-related flight disruptions – the telecom companies agreed to a pause. Continue reading...
Crash caused closure of sections of I-95 as drivers posted desperate messages on social media about running out of fuel, food and waterHundreds of motorists were stranded all night in snow and freezing temperatures along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 after a crash involving six tractor-trailers in Virginia, with some drivers stuck in place for nearly 24 hours.By Tuesday evening, transportation authorities in Virginia said that all stranded drivers had been recovered from the motorway south of Washington DC. Continue reading...
Committee requests answers from Hannity about communications with Donald Trump before, on and after day of 6 January attackThe US House of Representatives panel investigating the deadly attack on the US Capitol last January is seeking cooperation from Sean Hannity, the Fox News host and one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in the media, as the committee continues to widen its scope.Congressman Bennie Thompson, the chair of the committee, and vice-chair Liz Cheney have requested that Hannity answer questions in relation to communications between Hannity and the former president, as well as the former president’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, and others in the days leading up to the attack, the day itself and in the aftermath. Continue reading...
Joe Biden has urged people to get vaccinated, saying that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have mitigated the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinatedThe US president was speaking ahead of a meeting with his Covid-19 response team at the White House about the impact of the Omicron variant
The report says that while some groups were gripped with paranoia by the arrests, others began targeting local politicsIn the year since the 6 January insurrection, many US extremist groups haven’t fully recovered from blows landed by increased scrutiny of law enforcement and purges from big tech social media platforms, a new report has found.The research, by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, found that 12 months after the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob some far-right groups had been gripped by paranoia as authorities traced and arrested participants. But others had reorganized, often with an emphasis on local-level politics and a developing eco-system of far-right social media. Continue reading...
We dislike Silicon Valley’s grifters, but the glee over the Theranos founder’s ruin seems disproportionateTen minutes prior to the announcement of the verdict in the Elizabeth Holmes trial on Monday, reporters in San Jose, California, tweeted a heads up that the jury had returned. The news hit Twitter like oil on a hot frying pan, triggering not only anticipation, but a frisson of spite. Holmes, whose outfits over the course of the 15-week trial – dowdy, pale, and unthreatening – were interpreted as a contrivance equal to the black turtlenecks before them, isn’t a sympathetic figure, and there is always satisfaction to seeing confidence tricksters called out. But the level of enjoyment in her ruin, it seems to me, falls outside the normal range. “Ha,” I thought childishly when the guilty verdict came in. “Serves her right.”This was a particular and not wholly flattering form of schadenfreude. Holmes was found guilty of defrauding her investors on four counts; she was found not guilty on four counts relating to defrauding patients; and the jury couldn’t reach a verdict on three further counts. In all likelihood she will go to jail, and the sheer size of the numbers involved – Holmes defrauded investors to the tune of almost $1bn – will affect the length of her sentence. None of which quite explains the scale of contempt for the woman. I can’t summon a particular face or any real antipathy towards the board members of Enron. I loathe the architects of the 2008 financial crisis in a vague way that has never attached to a single image. Here is Holmes, however, with her too-red lipstick and wispy hair; and up it comes, a violent surge of dislike.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist
Democratic representative from Illinois faced Obama in a House primary in 2000 and beat him by more than 30 pointsThe only politician ever to beat Barack Obama will retire from the US Congress at the end of the year.Bobby Rush, a Democratic representative from Illinois, faced Obama in a House primary in 2000 – and beat him by more than 30 points. Obama went on to win a US Senate seat in 2004 and become America’s first Black president five years later. Continue reading...
Investigators interview dozens of people as Joe Pelle says getting it right is ‘more important than the urge for speed’Federal and state investigators have interviewed dozens of people in their search for the cause of a destructive Colorado wildfire but the investigation could take days if not weeks, the Boulder county sheriff warned.Declaring that “the stakes are huge”, Joe Pelle said he would not release details until he was ready “to announce some progress – perhaps that may be a week, perhaps that may be a month”. Continue reading...
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