Wicked Blue
Wicked Blue's JournalEthics complaint filed against Biggs, Cawthorn and Gosar over Capitol riot
The Hill
By Jordan Williams - 01/22/21 03:48 PM EST
A government watchdog group is asking the House Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate GOP Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) over the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The complaint from the liberal watchdog group Campaign for Accountability accuses the House Republicans of inciting the riot as part of “a seditious conspiracy to use force to prevent Congress from carrying out its constitutional and statutory duties to count the votes of the Electoral College.”
The group is also asking the House ethics office to recommend the congressmen be expelled from the House if it is found that they violated federal law.
The GOP lawmakers were vocal supporters of President Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, and all voted to uphold objections to Arizona and Pennsylvania’s electors after Congress resumed its count after the riot.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/535443-ethics-complaint-filed-against-biggs-gosar-and-cawthorn-over-capitol-riot
Denmark is sequencing all coronavirus samples and has an alarming view of the U.K. variant
Washington Post
By Michael Birnbaum and Martin Selsoe Sorensen
Jan. 22, 2021
Like a speeding car whose brake lines have been cut, the coronavirus variant first spotted in Britain is spreading at an alarming rate and isn’t responding to established ways of slowing the pandemic, according to Danish scientists who have one of the world’s best views into the new, more contagious strain.
Cases involving the variant are increasing 70 percent a week in Denmark, despite a strict lockdown, according to Denmark’s State Serum Institute, a government agency that tracks diseases and advises health policy.
“We’re losing some of the tools that we have to control the epidemic,” said Tyra Grove Krause, scientific director of the institute, which has begun sequencing every positive coronavirus test to check for mutations. By contrast, the United States is sequencing 0.3 percent of cases, ranking it 43rd in the world and leaving it largely blind to the variant’s spread.
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Danish public health officials say that if it weren’t for their extensive monitoring, they would be feeling a false sense of confidence right now. Overall, new daily confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Denmark have been dropping for a month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/uk-variant-covid-denmark/2021/01/22/ddfaf420-5453-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html
Biden remains opposed to eliminating filibuster, press secretary says
Washington Post
By John Wagner
President Biden remains opposed to eliminating the filibuster for legislation in the Senate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a news briefing Friday.
The issue has come to the fore during negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over organizing the chamber, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
McConnell is insisting that Democrats commit to keeping the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to move forward on most legislation.
“His position hasn’t changed,” Psaki said of Biden, a former senator from Delaware. “He opposes overturning a legislative filibuster. He has spoken to this many times. His position has not changed.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/22/president-joe-biden-live-updates/
GOP senator announces plan to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
Raw Story
Bob Brigham
January 22, 2021
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex," the amendment declares. "The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification."
On Friday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) for a bipartisan joint resolution to remove the deadline to ratify the ERA.
"As we begin a new Congress, I can think of no better legislation to lead with than one that removes impediments to find ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment — an amendment that firmly embeds in law equality between men and women. We first moved the ERA through Congress back in 1972, but we stalled out on certification by the states until last year when Virginia ratified the ERA," Murkowski said in a statement. "After years of work alongside Senator Cardin, I urge my colleagues to join us in ensuring equality for all."
The joint resolution is being introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Rep. Tom Reed (D-NY) in the House of Representatives.
https://www.rawstory.com/equal-rights-amendment/
Dem's New Bill Aims to Bar QAnon Followers From Security Clearances
Daily Beast
Sam Brodey, Congressional Reporter
Among the MAGA flags and “Stop the Steal” signs that festooned the sea of rioters who invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was the abundant stamp of another conspiracy movement—QAnon—that nursed the election-fraud lies that fueled the crowd.
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) was already struck at how the Capitol attack demonstrated the growing influence of conspiracy theories like QAnon—a wide-ranging set of unfounded beliefs encompassing election lies and fantasies of depravity by those in power—which drove adherents to a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in power by any means necessary.
Then came the report that at least 22 current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement were found to have been at or near the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, according to a Jan. 15 review by the Associated Press, with more reportedly under investigation by federal officials.
A former Pentagon official, Murphy quickly drew up a bill designed to block QAnon believers, and other conspiracy followers, from obtaining the security clearances required to access classified federal government information.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dems-new-bill-aims-to-bar-qanon-followers-from-security-clearances?ref=home
Republicans still control the Senate. Here's why.
CNN
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer may have the title of Senate Majority Leader but at the moment the Republicans still technically have control. That could be problematic for getting Biden's Cabinet picks through Congress.
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Even though Harris can break ties in Democrats' favor, the party can't take full control of the Senate until a power-sharing agreement is worked out between the two sides. A power-sharing agreement will spell out the number of seats that each caucus will have on Senate committees. Until an agreement is in place, the Senate operates under the rules of the last Congress when the GOP controlled the Senate majority and held the committee chairmanships.
What's holding up the deal? A power-sharing agreement is under discussion between Schumer and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, but the two have hit a snag over McConnell's demands that Schumer promise to save the filibuster and not move forward with efforts to gut the potent stall tactic on legislation.
McConnell argues that preserving a supermajority vote to pass legislation is a unique and important characteristic of the Senate, which the Founders believed should be a body where compromise between the parties would be needed to balance the strict majority-driven rule of the House of Representatives.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/president-joe-biden-news-01-22-20/index.html
Russia will be a complex issue for Biden to tackle
CNN
Analysis by Nathan Hodge
With the departure of Donald Trump from the White House, Russia-watchers can be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief: From the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin called Trump the front-runner for the 2016 Republican nomination, it's been near-impossible to look at Moscow through anything but the lens of Washington politics and scandal.
That doesn't mean President Biden can Make Russia Boring Again. Administrations may come and go, but the geopolitical challenge to the US from the Kremlin leader, it seems, remains constant.
Let's begin with the obvious: US-Russia relations are at their lowest point since the end the Cold War. US agencies are still sorting through the aftermath of a massive cyber breach blamed on Moscow. Western governments are demanding answers from the Kremlin on the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. And the US has steadily stepped up sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine and Moscow's interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
And as one of his first moves, Biden has ordered a sweeping intelligence review of suspected Russian mischief-making, from alleged bounties on US troops in Afghanistan to interference in the 2020 election. Biden's director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, will lead the effort, and the president's pick for CIA director, veteran diplomat William Burns, is also a Russia expert. (my italics - W.B.)
More:
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/president-joe-biden-news-01-22-20/index.html
Key events in Washington DC today (CNN)
CNN
Key events we're watching around Washington today
It is President Biden's second full day in office, and his administration is focusing on economic relief. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats are working to confirm Biden's Cabinet nominees.
Here's a look at the key events we're watching today:
10 a.m. ET: The Senate Finance Committee will have an open executive session to consider the nomination of Janet Yellen, Biden's pick for secretary of the Treasury.
10:30 a.m. ET: The Senate will take up the nomination of Gen. Lloyd Austin to be Defense secretary.
12:30 p.m. ET: White House press secretary Jen Psaki and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese hold a press briefing.
2:45 p.m. ET: President Biden will speak about his administration’s response to the economic crisis and will sign executive orders.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/president-joe-biden-news-01-22-20/index.html
Right on schedule, Republicans pretend to care about deficits again
Washington Post
Opinion by Catherine Rampell
Columnist
It’s almost like clockwork. As soon as a Democrat enters the White House, Republicans pretend to care about deficits again.
“The one thing that concerns me that nobody seems to be talking about anymore is the massive amount of debt that we continue to rack up as a nation,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) complained during a confirmation hearing this week for Treasury Secretary-nominee Janet Yellen. “For me,” he continued, “that is a huge warning sign on the horizon, the fact that we have an ever-growing deficit, an ever-growing debt and no apparent interest in taking the steps that are necessary to address it.”
His colleague Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) likewise carped that U.S. deficit levels are “frightening.” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) piled on, saying that waiting for interest rates to rise to indicate that debts are unsustainable would be “too late.”
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And so Republicans laid the groundwork for blocking the Biden administration’s request for more covid-19 fiscal relief, on the grounds that further spending is not merely unnecessary but also irresponsible. Despite ongoing economic and public health needs.
These foul-weather fiscal hawks neglect to mention, of course, that the GOP’s prized 2017 tax cuts added nearly $2 trillion to deficits — back when the economy was doing okay.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/right-on-schedule-republicans-pretend-to-care-about-deficits-again/2021/01/21/a749e500-5c17-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html
Ohio Orthodox Priest Suspended, Could Be Removed From Church, After Participating in Capitol Rally
Newsweek
By Emily Czachor
Rev. Mark Hodges, an archpriest affiliated with several orthodox churches in southwestern Ohio, was temporarily barred from fulfilling his usual duties after participating in the January 6 rally that preceded the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol came to light. His suspension from priestly responsibilities is due to last three months, and could result in his "defrocking," a term to denote permanent removal from his status within the church.
Hodges claims the disciplinary action stemmed solely from his presence at the rally, where protesters baselessly challenged the presidential election's outcome, according to an email originally dispatched to the archpriest's family and friends, which he sent to Newsweek on Thursday afternoon. However, in additional comments, a spokesperson from the Diocese of the Midwest told Newsweek that its decision was motivated by a collection of factors.
"Fr. Mark was not suspended for his presence at the rally. This suspension is a result of various circumstances that is currently part of an internal process. All of the facts can not be disclosed at this current time. The suspension is not due to one event, but also involves other matters," the spokesperson said.
Hodges, whose official Facebook page prominently showcases anti-abortion rhetoric, homophobia, transphobia and racism, in addition to unfounded claims related to election fraud. A supporter of Donald Trump, the archpriest has posted countless articles that made clear his alignment with the former president's unsubstantiated allegations that President Joe Biden's election victory was illegitimate.
https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-priest-suspended-could-removed-church-after-participating-capitol-rally-1563533
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