Wicked Blue
Wicked Blue's JournalBipartisan support emerges for domestic-terror bills as experts warn threat may last '10 to 20 years
Washington Post
By Karoun Demirjian
Feb. 4, 2021 at 7:11 p.m. EST
An apparent bipartisan majority of the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday endorsed the idea of new laws to address domestic terrorism in the wake of last month’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, as experts warned such internal threats would plague the country for decades to come.
Elizabeth Neumann, a former assistant secretary of homeland security for counterterrorism during the Trump administration, warned lawmakers that there is a “high likelihood” that another domestic terrorist attack would occur in the coming months and that the problem would persist “for the next 10 to 20 years.”
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Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the committee’s former chairman, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for legislation to set specific federal penalties for domestic terrorism cases. Such legislation would aim to bring the prosecution of such crimes into parity with laws targeting terrorism that originates overseas — something proponents said would recognize that the threats are equally insidious.
“What happened Jan. 6 just cries out” for such a response, McCaul said. “I think it sends a strong message about where Congress is, that we’re going to treat domestic terrorism on an equal plane as international terrorism.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-domestic-terror-legislation/2021/02/04/f43ec214-6733-11eb-8468-21bc48f07fe5_story.html
Surprising but welcome comment from a Republican: "we’re going to treat domestic terrorism on an equal plane as international terrorism.”
Guard Deployment to Secure DC Will Cost Nearly $500 Million
NBCWashington
By Lolita C. Baldor
The cost of deploying about 26,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 riot is nearly $500 million, U.S. military officials said Thursday.
The deployment brought troops in from all 50 states and four territories as law enforcement agencies tried to lock down the Capitol for the inauguration of the President Joe Biden. Thousands of Guard members poured into the nation's capital and were stationed across the city to block traffic and protect lawmakers and landmarks.
Officials said the nearly $500 million includes the costs of transporting Guard troops from their states to Washington, their salaries and benefits, as well as housing and other essentials. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss internal figures and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Because the troops were activated by the federal government for more than 30 days, their health benefits are also covered, adding to the price of the deployment.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/guard-deployment-to-secure-dc-will-cost-nearly-500-million/2562991/
There's a Crib in the White House for the Bidens' 10-Month-Old Grandson
NBCWashington
By Ree Hines
Joe and Jill Biden are turning the White House into a real home.
The president and first lady moved into the residence just three weeks ago, but they’ve already added a number personal touches — including a cozy accommodation for the youngest member of their family.
First grandson Beau, the infant son of Hunter Biden, has his very own White House crib.
“We used to have two sets of bunk beds at home,” the president shared in an interview with People magazine. “(The grandchildren) outgrew them. Although we now have one little 10-month-old.”
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/theres-a-crib-in-the-white-house-for-the-bidens-10-month-old-grandson/2563212/
Biden: "America is back. Diplomacy is back"
Source: CNN
In his first visit to the State Department as President, Biden gave employees a clear message: "America is back. Diplomacy is back."
Biden is set to announce a series of significant changes to US foreign policy, including measures on Yemen and LBGTQ rights, during a speech at the State Department, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
Indicating that, Biden added:
"We're going to rebuild our alliances. We're going to re-engage the world and take on the enormous challenge we face dealing with the pandemic, dealing with global warming, and again, standing up for democracy and human rights around the world."
He emphasized that employees will be "trusted and empowered" to do their job and asked everyone to follow some core tenets — integrity, transparency and accountability — while working in the service of American people.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/congress-stimulus-trump-impeachment-2-04-21/index.html
Newsmax host throws fit over McDonald's fish sandwich -- then storms out when workers call him 'Male
Newsmax host throws fit over McDonald's fish sandwich -- then storms out when workers call him 'Male Karen'
Raw Story
Brad Reed
February 04, 2021
Right-wing Newsmax host Greg Kelly on Thursday revealed that he had decided to storm out of a local McDonald's after some workers at the fast food restaurant called him a "Karen."
In a tweet posted Thursday morning, Kelly expressed his outrage that the local McDonald's franchise was apparently no longer selling the McFish sandwich.
"I just went to a MACDONALD'S (sic) and there was no MCFISH on the menu," he fumed. "When the hell did that happen? Is it permanently banned? Or is just my 'local' MACDONALD'S (sic)."
In addition to spelling McDonald's incorrectly, Kelly also asked for a product that doesn't exist, as the McDonald's fish sandwich is called "Filet-o-Fish" not "McFish."
https://www.rawstory.com/newsmax-karen/
Hunter Biden to publish memoir detailing drug addiction
Agence France-Presse February 04, 2021
President Joe Biden's son Hunter will detail his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in a memoir scheduled for release in April, publisher Gallery Books announced on Thursday.
Hunter Biden, a frequent target of conservative ire in the United States, also writes about the death of his brother Beau in "Beautiful Things," due out on April 6.
The memoir recalls "Hunter's descent into substance abuse and his tortuous path to sobriety," Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, said in a statement.
Biden, who turned 51 on Thursday, was discharged from the Navy Reserve in 2014 after a positive test for cocaine.
https://www.rawstory.com/hunter-biden-to-publish-memoir-detailing-addiction/
This takes a lot of courage
Militia alliance in Georgia signals new phase for extremist paramilitaries
By Chris Joyner, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The leader of a private paramilitary group that provided security for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said he has formed alliances with other far-right groups to advocate for Georgia’s secession from the union, following the arrests of participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
“The way patriots are now being hunted down and arrested by fellow men and women who have taken the same oath has disheartened any faith I had in the redemption or reformation of the USA as one entity,” Justin Thayer, head of the Georgia III% Martyrs, said in a text exchange with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.
Thayer said the Martyrs have allied themselves with fellow “Three Percenter” militia the American Brotherhood of Patriots and American Patriots USA (APUSA), a north Georgia group headed by Chester Doles, a Dahlonega resident who belonged to various racist and neo-Nazi hate groups before forming the new group in 2019. The combined groups will advocate for Georgia’s secession from the union through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution or through “the collapse of the American experiment,” Thayer said.
“For the last 150 years, the Imperial Yankee culture of the northeast has been molding Georgia — and the South in general — into its ‘perfect’ image,” he said.
https://www.ajc.com/news/militia-alliance-in-georgia-signals-new-phase-for-extremist-paramilitaries/UD2JMQV5A5EABHHAKBQZBK2IVY/
Consulting Giant McKinsey Agrees to Pay Nearly $600M Over Opioid Crisis
Source: NBCWashington
By Geoff Mulvihill
The business consultant McKinsey & Company agreed to pay nearly $600 million for its role in consulting businesses on how to sell more prescription opioid painkillers amid a nationwide overdose crisis.
“We deeply regret that we did not adequately acknowledge the tragic consequences of the epidemic unfolding in our communities," McKinsey Global Managing Partner Kevin Sneader said in a statement Thursday, noting the company cooperated with investigations. ”With this agreement, we hope to be part of the solution to the opioid crisis in the U.S.”
The company said it had deals in place with attorneys general for 49 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Under details provided by states, 47 of the states, the District of Columbia and the territories will share $573 million, which also includes $15 million for the National Association of Attorneys General. Washington announced a separate $13.5 million deal Thursday and West Virginia said it would have a major opioid-related announcement, too.
Most of the payments will come within the next two months under the multistate agreement, and the payments are earmarked for abating the raging overdose and addiction crisis that has deepened during the coronavirus pandemic. Opioids, which include prescription drugs and illegal substances such as heroin and illicit fentanyl, have been linked to more than 470,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000.
Read more: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/ap-source-mckinsey-to-pay-573m-for-role-in-opioid-crisis/2561911/
Biden, at Prayer Breakfast, Calls Out 'Political Extremism'
Source: NBCWashington
By Elana Schor and Will Weissert
President Joe Biden on Thursday called for a confrontation of the “political extremism” that inspired the U.S. Capitol riot and appealed for collective strength during such turbulent times in remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that asks political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning.
The breakfast has sparked controversy in the past, particularly when President Donald Trump used last year's installment to slam his political opponents and question their faith. Some liberals have viewed the event warily because of the conservative faith-based group that is behind it.
Still, Biden campaigned for the White House as someone who could unify Americans, and the breakfast gave the nation's second Catholic president a chance to talk about his vision of faith as a force for good.
“For so many in our nation, this is a dark, dark time,” Biden told those watching the event. “So where do we turn? Faith.”
Read more: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/prayer-breakfast-gives-biden-fresh-chance-to-call-for-unity/2562128/
Republicans revealed themselves as the 'lynching caucus' last night: MSNBC's Morning Joe
Raw Story
Travis Gettys
February 04, 2021
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough condemned the Republican "lynching caucus" that backed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) while moving to punish Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
The newly elected Georgia Republican got a standing ovation Wednesday evening from some colleagues during a closed-door House GOP conference meeting, while 61 Republicans voted to strip Cheney of her conference chair.
"Of course, that's the lynching caucus," Scarborough said. "This is, of course, a woman who called for the lynching of President Barack Obama, called for the lynching of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, told everybody to be calm, take your time, don't rush this. If we do it right, we can lynch Barack Obama. This is what she said and what your Republican Party gave a standing ovation to last night. She said if you're just patient, we can actually lynch, we can kill Hillary Clinton."
"That's what she said," he added, "and they're giving her a standing ovation. She called for a bullet in the brain of the speaker of the House, assassination for Nancy Pelosi. That's what House Republicans gave a standing ovation to last night. She said Jews -- you can't compare these people to Nazis, that's wrong! Oh, how dare you! She said that Jews, a Jewish cabal was responsible for the wildfires in California because a Jewish laser, it was the Jews' fault. My god, how could anybody draw parallels to Nazis. That woman got a standing ovation."
https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-qanon-2650289368/
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