to vaccinate the 1.5 million eligible for Phase 1B.

I looked at the state's website at https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine

where it says

"At this time, the federal government is giving the state approximately 10,000 doses/day for over 1.5 million people who are eligible. Supply is very limited."

This is insane.

At least President Joe Biden will be able to get to the bottom of the vaccine supply issues and speed things up.

At 12:01 pm I will finally be able to take a deep breath again, knowing America is in good hands.

CNN
Jim Acosta and Christina Carrega

Two uniforms stolen from a US Army soldier’s car Tuesday morning led to an alert to law enforcement in the Washington area though authorities said it "was not a targeted theft,” according to a copy of the alert obtained by CNN and Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Kam Cooke.

The alert was sent out of an abundance of caution due to the security precautions surrounding Wednesday’s inaugural, according to the notification.

The Anne Arundel County Police sent out the "criminal intel alert" describing the soldier's Army fatigue and military dress uniforms that were lifted out of his unlocked car in the Washington suburb.

Cooke emphasized to CNN that the theft "was not targeted." Cooke said that other vehicles on the block were also broken into, including the victim's mother's car.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/biden-inauguration-dc-security-01-19-21/index.html

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN

(CNN) Experts have uncovered the remains of a gigantic dinosaur in Argentina, and believe it could be one of the largest creatures to have ever walked the Earth.

Paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur in Neuquén Province in Argentina's northwest Patagonia, in thick, sedimentary deposits known as the Candeleros Formation.

The 24 vertebrae of the tail and elements of the pelvic and pectoral girdle discovered are thought to belong to a titanosaur, a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, characterized by their large size, a long neck and tail, and four-legged stance.

In research published in the journal Cretaceous Research, experts say they believe the creature to be "one of the largest sauropods ever found" and could exceed the size of a Patagotitan, a species which lived 100 million to 95 million years ago and measured up to a staggering 37.2 meters (122 feet) long.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/americas/dinosaur-largest-titanosaur-intl-scli-scn/index.html

CNN
By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business
Updated 2:22 PM ET, Tue January 19, 2021

New York (CNN Business) Stocks have gained about 13% since Election Day as of Tuesday, a day before Joe Biden's inauguration -- marking the the best post-election market performance for a new president since JFK, according to CFRA Research.

The S&P 500 rose 8.8% from late 1960 to early 1961 after John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon. The market continued to rally during JFK's first 100 days in office, rising another 8.9%.

The current Biden market surge represents the second time in a row that Wall Street has cheered a new president: Stocks gained more than 6% in the election to inauguration period after President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016. The market gained 5% during Trump's first 100 days as well.

But there's one major difference: Trump was inheriting an economy that was growing at a stable rate during the long, post-Great Recession recovery. Biden is walking into the Covid-19 economy.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/investing/biden-stock-market-election-inauguration/index.html

Source: Washington Post

By Spencer S. Hsu and Devlin Barrett
Jan. 19, 2021 at 8:52 a.m. EST

U.S. authorities have leveled the first conspiracy charge against an apparent leader of an extremist group in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, arresting an alleged Oath Keeper who is accused of plotting to disrupt the electoral vote confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and proposing further assaults on state capitols.

Thomas Edward Caldwell, 65, of Clarke County, Va., was taken into custody before 7 a.m. on four federal counts, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States in the attack on the Capitol. The conspiracy charge is reserved for offenses interfering with or obstructing the lawful operation of government.

A charging affidavit says he helped organize a group of eight to 10 individuals, including self-styled Ohio militia members apprehended Sunday, who wore helmets and military-style gear and were seen moving purposefully toward the top of the Capitol steps and leading the move against police lines.

The affidavit cited a Jan. 1 Facebook message in which Caldwell said he had scouted lodging for several others at a Comfort Inn in Ballston, Va., about eight miles from the Capitol that “would allow us to go hunting at night if we wanted to.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/conspiracy-oath-keeper-arrest-capitol-riot/2021/01/19/fb84877a-5a4f-11eb-8bcf-3877871c819d_story.html

NBC4Washington
By Michael Warren

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund launched a $40 million scholarship program on Monday to support a new generation of civil rights lawyers, dedicated to pursuing racial justice across the South.

With that whopping gift from a single anonymous donor, the fund plans to put 50 students through law schools around the country. In return, they must commit to eight years of racial justice work in the South, starting with a two-year post-graduate fellowship in a civil rights organization.

“The donor came to us,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “The donor very much wanted to support the development of civil rights lawyers in the South. And we have a little bit of experience with that.”

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/anonymous-40-million-gift-will-pay-law-school-for-50-civil-rights-attorneys/2545105/

Source: CNN

By Kaitlan Collins, Caroline Kelly and Gregory Wallace

(CNN) President Donald Trump on Monday lifted coronavirus-related travel restrictions for much of Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil, effective on January 26 -- nearly a week after he leaves office.

In an executive order issued Monday evening, Trump said he had been advised to lift restrictions for European countries in the Schengen Zone, which consists of 26 countries, the UK, Ireland and Brazil but leave in place restrictions on travel from Iran and China.

"I agree with the Secretary that this action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from COVID-19 while enabling travel to resume safely," Trump wrote in the order, referring to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

President-elect Joe Biden is set to take over the presidency on Wednesday and his incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki, said that his administration would not lift the restrictions.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/politics/trump-covid-travel-restrictions/index.html

---

Because CNN updated its story, I UPDATED the last paragraph to add comment by Biden's press secretary saying the Biden administration will not list the restrictions

CNN
Manu Raju, Senior Congressional Correspondent

The top two Senate leaders are nearing a power-sharing agreement to hash out how the evenly divided chamber will operate, with Democrats in charge of setting the schedule but both parties likely to hold an equal number of seats on Senate committees, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The negotiations between Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have been built largely around how the Senate operated the last time the body was split 50-50: When George W. Bush initially became president in 2001. Final details are still being sorted out between the two leaders, sources said.
Biden Transition

Similar to those rules, set in January 2001, Schumer and McConnell aides are discussing allowing bills and nominations to advance to the Senate floor even if they are tied during committee votes, something that could become common given that each party is expected to have the same number of seats on committees.

Democrats will hold the chairmanships of the committees, giving them power to set the agenda, and Schumer will be granted the title of majority leader since Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will cast tiebreaking votes on the floor.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/politics/mitch-mcconnell-chuck-schumer-power-sharing-deal/index.html

BBC

A man too afraid to fly due to the pandemic lived undetected in a secure area of Chicago's international airport for three months, US prosecutors say.

Aditya Singh, 36, was arrested on Saturday after airline staff asked him to produce his identification.

He pointed to a badge, but it allegedly belonged to an operations manager who reported it missing in October.

Police say Mr Singh arrived on a flight from Los Angeles to O'Hare International Airport on 19 October.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55702003