State Republican Leaders Are Rushing to Exploit Trump’s Big Lie - In diverse parts of the country, followers of the former President are attacking voting laws and systems, using his claims that the election was stolen as a justification. - link
When Reporting Becomes a Defense for Rioting - John Sullivan claims that he was at the Capitol insurrection as a neutral journalist. Others say he was a riot chaser who urged the mob to “burn this shit down.” - link
Why Are So Many Health-Care Workers Resisting the Coronavirus Vaccine? - The roots of their hesitancy predate the coronavirus—and may not be easily dispelled. - link
Examining the Case Against the Filibuster - In a new book, Adam Jentleson blames government failures on more than a century of Southern obstruction in the Senate. - link
On Climate, Biden’s Administration Needs to Combat Zombie Trumpism Quickly - And Montana’s Yaak Valley is a good place to start. - link
It’s not clear whether the Biden administration will follow suit.
The Canadian government has designated the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group, as a terrorist organization in the wake of its involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
The Canadian government cited the group’s engagement in violence against Black Lives Matter protesters as well as its “pivotal role” in the insurrection as reasons behind the designation.
The designation will allow the Canadian government to turn away members of the Proud Boys at the border and remove their internet postings within Canada, as well as impose penalties on anyone who deals with their property or finances. While the group was founded in 2016 in the US, where it remains most prevalent, there are semi-autonomous chapters based in Canada.
“Violent acts of terrorism have no place in Canadian society or abroad,” Canadian public safety minister Bill Blair said in a statement. “Canadians expect their government to keep them safe and to keep pace with evolving threats and global trends, such as the growing threat of ideologically motivated violent extremism.”
Canada’s decision to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist group has put pressure on US authorities to do the same. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the Biden administration’s national security team is currently examining “violence and this type of concerning group activity across the country” and will make a determination as to how to proceed once that review is complete.
The Congressional Research Service has asserted that the Capitol insurrection was an act of domestic terrorism, as defined by federal regulations and law, and noted that the FBI has identified the criminal activity by the Proud Boys to pose a domestic terrorism threat. But the US government currently does not formally designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations — that designation is reserved for foreign actors.
Former President Donald Trump previously called for the militant left-wing group antifa to be designated as a domestic terrorist group, but that would have required creating a new legal mechanism. It’s possible that Congress could pass a law creating that mechanism, but that would raise concerns about the government using the designation to infringe on First Amendment free speech rights and target certain ideologies. Should the Biden administration want to designate the Proud Boys as domestic terrorists, they would likely face the same quandary.
Members of the Proud Boys are being prosecuted for their role in the events leading up to and including the Capitol insurrection.
The group’s leader, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, was arrested two days before the insurrection for allegedly burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was stolen from a church in northwest Washington, DC, following a “Stop the Steal” rally in December. When he was arrested, police found him in possession of two high-capacity firearm magazines. He was consequently charged with destruction of property and possession of a high-capacity feeding device.
Two additional members — Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe, both of New York — were charged with conspiracy last week for storming the Capitol building. Federal prosecutors said that they “engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct, influence, impede, and interfere with law enforcement officers engaged in their official duties in protecting the U.S. Capitol and its grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.”
The group has vocally supported Trump and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, making appearances at various “Stop the Steal” rallies nationwide. Trump infamously refused to denounce them and other white supremacist organizations during a presidential debate with now-President Joe Biden in October, instructing them to instead “stand back and stand by.” Trump later downplayed the statement, but many in the group took it as a command, embracing it as a rallying cry and put it on their official merchandise.
With the belated passage of the Senate organizing resolution, Democrats are finally able to take over as committee chairs.
Thirty-one days into the new Congress and weeks after the Georgia Senate runoffs gave them 50 seats, Democrats now officially control the functioning of the Senate.
It took weeks of negotiation between party leaders to decide how Democrats and Republicans would share power and resources in the evenly divided Senate, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stonewalled the process, trying to extract promises from Democrats about retaining the filibuster. That obstruction left Republicans chairing committees, despite the seating of a 50-50 Senate, in which Democrats, through Vice President Kamala Harris, hold the tie-breaking vote. But on Wednesday, the Senate finally passed an organizing resolution largely sharing power. The resolution was adopted by unanimous consent.
“Committees can promptly set up and get to work, with Democrats holding the gavels,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, announcing the deal. “Senate Democrats are not going to waste any time taking on the biggest challenges facing our country and our planet.”
SCHUMER: "I am happy to report this morning that the leadership of both parties has finalized the organizing resolution for the Senate."
— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) February 3, 2021
Democrats take control of Senate committees, as McConnell and Schumer reach a deal on how to run a 50-50 Senate after weeks of negotiations. pic.twitter.com/iB6lz8HUCq
Under the agreement, Schumer will control what legislation gets brought to the floor and Democrats will chair committees. But due to the even split, committees will have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, as Vox’s Li Zhou explains.
Schumer and McConnell also offered a written colloquy emphasizing a fresh start for bipartisanship in the Senate, pledging to promote substantive debate over administrative obstruction through processes like “filling the amendment tree.”
It's now official: Senate just passed S.Res.27, the organizing resolution, by unanimous consent, along with resolutions naming Democratic and Republican committee appointments. Democrats are now chairs of all Senate committees.
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) February 3, 2021
The belated passage of the organizing resolution eliminates the trouble Democrats ran into trying to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees without technically being seated as the majority. In the Senate Judiciary Committee, for example, incoming Chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) had to request that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) schedule a hearing for Biden’s attorney general nominee, because Graham still held the gavel. Graham rejected the request, underscoring the stakes of the hold-up over the organizing resolution.
McConnell had previously held up negotiations because he wanted a commitment from Schumer that Democrats would not use the majority to blow up the filibuster, a piece of leverage Schumer was unwilling to concede. Because organizing resolutions can be filibustered and therefore need 60 votes to pass, McConnell could effectively block its passage. He agreed to move forward last week after two Senate Democrats — Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) — announced their support for maintaining the filibuster.
Now, Democrats can proceed with confirming Biden’s appointees, scheduling oversight hearings, and passing legislation. But the fight over the organizing resolution could foreshadow just how much difficulty they’ll run into while in control.
With the resolution in place, Democrats can seat their new members on committees and assume leadership roles.
As Vox’s Li Zhou has reported, the resolution mirrors the 2001 agreement between Sens. Tom Daschle and Trent Lott, who presided over the last 50-50 Senate.
“Because Democrats have the majority with Vice President Harris’s vote, they’ll hold the chair positions of every committee, but the resolution would split committee membership evenly, as well as office space and funding. Any measure that receives a tie vote in committee would also be able to receive some consideration for advancement on the floor.
As majority leader, Schumer will still control the floor schedule for legislation, and when to proceed to votes. “As for controlling the agenda, the Democrats will ensure they have standard majority party power, because in essence, they do,” Josh Ryan, a political scientist at Utah State University, told PolitiFact.”
The organizing resolution accounts for potential ties in committee, allowing those bills to come to the floor.
Six years have passed since the Democrats last held the Senate. Some senators will be returning to their previously held chairmanships, while others will be assuming gavels for the first time. The Democratic Senate chairs include:
Twitter trolls are after the pop star, too.
International pop star Rihanna and teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg have seriously angered the Indian government and awakened right-wing trolls in India after voicing support for the thousands of farmers who have been protesting for months against agricultural reforms passed by India’s government last fall.
On February 2, Rihanna called attention to the issue on Twitter, sharing a link to a CNN story about the Indian government shutting off internet access after protests during India’s Republic Day celebrations unexpectedly turned violent last week.
The singer’s tweet, which included the hashtag #FarmersProtest, got hundreds of thousands of “Likes” and brought significant attention to the issue. But it also angered the Indian government, which responded that foreign celebrities should know the facts before weighing in on Indian affairs.
“These reforms give expanded market access and provided greater flexibility to farmers. They also pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable farming,” read a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
“Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken,” the statement continued. “The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.”
Rihanna’s comments also set off nasty vitriol on Twitter, with some supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing nationalist government, which passed the agriculture reform laws in question, making racist comments and even joking about Chris Brown’s 2009 assault of the singer.
One of Bollywood’s most famous actresses, Kangana Ranaut, called Rihanna a “fool” for supporting the protesters, claiming they are not actually farmers but “terrorists.”
No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like USA...
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) February 2, 2021
Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies. https://t.co/OIAD5Pa61a
Rihanna wasn’t the only international celebrity to express support for the protests. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also tweeted in support of the protesters, offering solidarity between the climate movement and the protesting farmers. Right-wing trolls in India immediately attacked her on Twitter as well. Ranaut called her a “spoilt brat.”
However, some experts offered more reasoned criticism of Thunberg’s tweet. Shamika Ravi, an economist and fellow at the Brookings Institution who previously served as an economic adviser to Prime Minister Modi, called out Thunberg’s support of farmers on environmental grounds, noting that the activist was defending farmers although their agricultural practices have “led to poisoned land.”
Ravi has argued that Punjab, the region where many of the protesting farmers are from, is in dire need of economic reform and that these new laws are a part of that process.
The legislation, enacted by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in late September, aims to deregulate India’s agricultural industry in a move the government says will provide farmers with more autonomy over choosing prices and make the agricultural sector more efficient.
Under the new policies, farmers will now sell goods and make contracts with independent buyers outside of government-sanctioned marketplaces, which have long served as the primary locations for farmers to do business. Modi and members of his party believe these reforms will help India modernize and improve its farming industry, which will mean greater freedom and prosperity for farmers.
But the protesting farmers aren’t convinced.
Although the government has said it will not drop minimum support prices for essential crops like grain, which the Indian government has set and guaranteed for decades, the farmers are concerned they will disappear. Without them, the farmers believe they will be at the mercy of large corporations that will pay extremely low prices for essential crops, plunging them into debt and financial ruin.
“Farmers have so much passion because they know that these three laws are like death warrants for them,” Abhimanyu Kohar, coordinator of the National Farmer’s Alliance, a federation of more than 180 nonpolitical farm organizations across India, told me in an interview in January. “Our farmers are doing this movement for our future, for our very survival.”
Modi’s government and the farmers have been engaged in talks for weeks now to try to come to some sort of resolution, but they have yet to succeed. Modi offered to suspend the laws for 18 months, but the farmers have refused, demanding a full repeal of the laws.
And Monday’s crackdown on the internet and the government’s angry reaction to international celebrities expressing support for farmers show just how determined Modi’s government is to keep the international community from having a say in the dispute.
Eight journalists who reported on the Republic Day violence have been arrested for crimes the Human Rights Watch calls “baseless.” The New Delhi police have responded to clashes by fortifying the city against future protests. Undeterred, the farmers are planning to continue blocking roads on Saturday.
Farmers' protest | We briefly discussed it in team meeting: Virat Kohli - Let us all stay united in this hour of disagreements, the Indian captain had tweeted on Wednesday
Ministry provides ₹ 2.5 lakh assistance to MP wrestler found doing "labour work" - The Sports Ministry on Thursday sanctioned ₹ 2.5 lakh to Madhya Pradesh-based wrestler Sunny Jadhav for his training, procurement of equipment and p
Back in Backyard: Kohli's India set to rely on present, England bank on deep ‘Root’ed history - India will be wanting to guard themselves against the complacency that can always creep in after a triumph like Australia.
Bangladesh's limited overs tour of NZ delayed by a week due to COVID-19 related challenges - Under the revised schedule, Bangladesh will play three ODIs and an equal number of T20 Internationals between March 20 and April 1
Channel 4 strikes deal with Star Sports, secures TV rights for England vs India Test series - “Channel 4 will show exclusive free to air live television coverage of England’s Test series against India,” the channel said in a statement.
BJP readies three lakh ‘prishtha pramukhs’ for Assam polls - They are assigned the job of meeting every person on a page of the electoral rolls.
Samagra Shiksha home projects for students - Lab@home and Library@home to be implemented
NIA spells out modus operandi of gold smugglers - ‘Smuggling carried out to threaten nation’s economic security’
PMMVY beneficiaries cross 1.75 crore - The government’s maternity benefit scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, has crossed 1.75 crore eligible women till financial year 2020, th
Rajpath revamp: Hardee Singh Puri performs ‘bhoomi pujan’ for redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue - Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on February 4 performed the ‘bhoomi pujan’ for the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue
France bomb plot: Iran diplomat Assadollah Assadi sentenced to 20 years - Assadollah Assadi is convicted by a Belgian court of planning an attack on an opposition rally in 2018.
UK and EU in 'constructive discussions' over NI trade row - Both sides have vowed to "work intensively" to solve post-Brexit trade problems in Northern Ireland.
Draghi asked to form new Italian coalition government - The former European Central Bank chief is asked by the president to form a new coalition government.
Why jailing Navalny may mean more problems for Putin - The Kremlin's tough tactics could backfire, with the opposition leader's jail term fuelling protests.
Coronavirus: German medics fly in to aid Portugal's hospital emergency - Almost a year after Italy sought help because of its virus emergency, Portugal welcomes German aid.
SolarWinds patches vulnerabilities that could allow full system control - Fixes come as SolarWinds sorts out its role in a major hack on its customers. - link
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine looks good in early analysis - If the results hold up—a big if—we'll have another good vaccine option. - link
Pornhub brings in third-party “identity verification” system for users - Ideally, the arrangement would both confirm consent and keep performer data private. - link
Amazon begins delivering packages with prototype electric trucks - Amazon is aiming to put 100,000 Rivian electric trucks on the road by 2024. - link
AT&T customer since 1960 buys WSJ print ad to complain of slow speeds - Open letter to CEO asks why AT&T left DSL areas with shoddy Internet access. - link
I told her, "No, I've dressed like this for quite a while."
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The rabbi responded, "Yes, that is still one of our beliefs."
The priest then asked, "Have you ever eaten pork?"
To which the rabbi replied, "Yes, on one occasion I did succumb to temptation and tasted a ham sandwich."
The priest nodded in understanding and went on with his reading.
A while later, the rabbi spoke up and asked the priest, "Is it still a requirement of your church that you remain celibate?
The priest replied, "Yes, that is still very much a part of our faith."
The rabbi then asked him, "Have you ever fallen to the temptations of the flesh?"
The priest replied, "Yes, rabbi, on one occasion I was weak and broke my faith and made love to a woman."
The rabbi nodded understandingly and remained silent, thinking about five minutes.
Finally, the rabbi said, "Beats a fucking ham sandwich, doesn't it?"
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One day, he went on a plane. Unfortunately, a malfunction occurred. The flight crew announced that the plane was going down and one of the passengers had to be thrown out to reduce weight.
To determine the victim, passengers drew lots, and the unlucky man was chosen. He refused furiously, saying "No, I lived a miserable life because of my bad luck and I refuse to let it dictate the end of my days!"
Passengers drew lots for the second time, he was chosen again. He refused for the second time, with less determination.
When the lots were drawn for the third time, his name was chosen once more. He refused again.
Finally, when his name appeared again after the fourth ballot, he said:
"OK, I agree to jump off the plane on one condition. You have to guess this correctly: What is the total number of testicles of me and the man in front of me?"
Passengers looked at each other with slight surprise and a grin on their faces and said "Four, of course!". The man laughed at them saying "No! You're wrong, as you see!" while revealing his proud, single testicle to them. Then the other man pulled down his pants...
He had three testicles.
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Rob pulled in, filled his tank and asked for his free sex. The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10, and said that if he guessed correctly, he would get his free sex. Rob said "today is my birthday, i'm feeling LUCKY and I guess 8".
The owner said, “You were very close, the lucky number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time.”
A week later, Rob, with his friend Marvin, pulled in for another fill-up. Again Rob asked for his free sex. The proprietor again gave him the same story, and asked him to guess the correct number. Rob guessed 2. The proprietor said, “Sorry, it was 3, you were very close, but no free sex this time.”
As they were driving away, Marvin said to Rob, “I think that game is rigged and he doesn’t really give away free sex at all.”
Rob replied, “No it’s genuine enough Marvin. My wife won twice last week.”
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A weeping woman bursts into her hypnotist's office
"I have been faithful to my husband for 15 years, but yesterday I had an affair!" she sobbed.
"The guilt is killing me. I just want to forget that it never happened!"
The hypnotherapist shakes his head and sighs. "Not again...."
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