WHO team arrives in Wuhan as China reports
first Covid-19 death since May (Source france24.com)
A
team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived in Wuhan on Thursday
to start a highly politicised probe into the origins of the coronavirus, as
China reported its first death from Covid-19 in eight months. The 10
scientists, who must complete a two-week quarantine in Wuhan before starting
their work, arrived for their much-delayed mission to examine the origins
of the pandemic. The virus was first detected in
the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since billowed out
across the world killing nearly two million
people so
far, infecting tens of millions and eviscerating the global economy. State
broadcaster CGTN showed the plane carrying the team arrive from Singapore to be
met by Chinese officials in full hazmat suits. Their trip comes as more
than 20 million people are under lockdown in the north of China and one
province has declared an emergency, with Covid-19 numbers climbing after
several months of being relatively static. China had largely brought
the pandemic under control through strict lockdowns and mass testing, hailing
its economic rebound as an indication of strong leadership by the Communist
authorities. But another 138 infections were reported by the National Health
Commission on Thursday—the highest single-day tally since March last year.
Feds warn that racist extremists,
anti-government militias were emboldened by Capitol breach
(Source
theweek.com)
Federal
authorities on Wednesday issued a joint intelligence
bulletin cautioning
that last week’s assault on the Capitol will be a “significant driver of
violence” for white supremacists and armed militia groups. The bulletin,
dated Jan. 13 and sent by the National Counterterrorism Center and the
Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, warns that extremists looking to
trigger a race war or civil war “may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol
breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climatic conflict in
the United States.” Racist extremists and anti-government militias
“very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021,”
the agencies said. The breaching of the Capitol is emboldening extremists, the
bulletin warns, and baseless conspiracy theories from QAnon will likely inspire
some to “engage in more sporadic, lone-actor, or small-cell violence
against” racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, government officials,
and law enforcement. Additionally, individuals who have accepted President
Trump’s false claims that the election was “stolen” may also
“adopt the belief that there is no political situation to address their
grievances and violent action is necessary.”
(Source
politico.com) President-elect Joe Biden is tapping former South Carolina
Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison to lead the Democratic National
Committee, according to three people familiar with the decision, a major
victory for state party heads and the powerful House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
Harrison, a current associate chair and senior counselor at the DNC, will be
charged with leading the Democrats through the tumultuous 2022 midterms and
keeping the party’s warring factions together if party members formally elect
him as expected this month. Biden is also throwing his weight behind an
all-star slate of vice chairs: He wants Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer,
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Texas Rep. Filemón Vela for the roles,
according to multiple sources. For state party officials, many of whom continue
to harbor resentment over the DNC’s diminishment during the Barack Obama
administration, the selection of Harrison came as a relief.
A guide to the new COVID-19 testing rules for
travel to the US (Source
foxbusiness.com) The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention has ordered that all travelers flying
to the U.S. from abroad will have to show proof of negative Covid-19 tests
before boarding their flight starting Jan. 26. The CDC said preflight testing is
necessary as Covid-19 cases continue to soar and new, more contagious strains
of the virus emerge around the world. The order applies to everyone traveling to the U.S.
on international flights, including U.S. citizens. You will need to show
negative test results even if you are flying on a private jet or charter
flight. There are exceptions for children under age 2, airline crews, and
federal law-enforcement agents and members of the military traveling for duty. All of them. Passengers need to show proof of a
negative test when traveling to the U.S. from any country, including Mexico and
the Caribbean. Airlines can seek temporary waivers for certain countries where
testing supplies are inadequate, but carriers haven’t yet said which countries
might fall into this category.
(Source
investors.com) Marijuana stocks rallied after the Democrats took control of the
Senate, opening up the possibility of friendlier pot laws on a federal level.
Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in January defeated their Republican
rivals in two Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
Their
victories will give the Democrats 50 Senate seats, with Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris acting as the tie-breaking vote. With Biden’s win in November,
hopes have increased for looser restrictions on cannabis, which is still
federally illegal in the U.S. Last month, the Democrat-led House voted to pass the MORE Act. That bill would
decriminalize marijuana federally but let states decide their own cannabis
policy. Biden has said he supports federal marijuana decriminalization.
‘Joints For Jabs:’ This Group Wants to Give
You Weed With Your Covid Vaccine (Source vice.com) ‘Jabs for Joints’ is one D.C. activist
group’s solution to encourage COVID-19 vaccines and legalize cannabis
legislation. Some COVID-19 vaccines administered in Washington D.C. this
spring may come with a party favor: weed. Cannabis reform activist group
DC Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) announced in a press release Monday that, come
spring 2021, if vaccines are widely available to the public, they will hand out
free bags of cannabis at some vaccination sites in the district. Cannabis is
legal to use recreationally and for medical purposes in D.C. “To
celebrate this momentous occasion and thank people for getting vaccinated,
dozens of D.C. home growers will lawfully distribute free bags of cannabis
outside vaccination centers as soon as the general public is able to get
vaccinated,” the release said.
FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed
protests next week
(Source politico.com)
The
FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in
Washington in the days leading up to President-election Joe Biden’s
inauguration, stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week’s deadly siege at
the U.S. Capitol. An internal FBI bulletin warned that, as of Sunday, the
nationwide protests may start later this week and extend through Biden’s Jan.
20 inauguration, according to two law enforcement officials who read details of
the memo to The Associated Press. Investigators believe some of the people are
members of some extremist groups, the officials said. The bulletin was first
reported by ABC. “Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols
from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17
January through 20 January,” the bulletin said, according to one official. The
officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on
condition of anonymity.
Biden unveils $1.9 trillion ‘rescue plan’
including direct payments and extra $400 in unemployment benefits (Source Yahoo Money)
President-Elect
Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that includes direct payments to Americans, a $15 minimum wage, aid
to small businesses, and a national vaccination program, among many other
provisions. “While Congress’s bipartisan action in December was a step in the
right direction, it was only a down payment. It fell far short of the resources
needed to tackle the immediate crisis,” according to the statement accompanying
the details of the plan. “We are in a race against time, and absent additional
government assistance, the economic and public health crises could worsen in
the months ahead.” The $1.9 trillion legislation includes $1,400 stimulus
payments on top of the $600 being distributed, the extension of key unemployment
programs that are set to expire in the spring, aid to small businesses, $350
billion to state and local governments, increase in tax credits for low- and
middle-income families, and $160 billion for a national program on vaccination
and testing.
China’s state media says Pompeo ‘crossed a
dangerous red line’ with latest Taiwan move
(Source
rt.com)
Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that he is
lifting “self-imposed restrictions” on contacts between American
diplomats and their Taiwanese counterparts, ending a practice that was in place
to appease China. The United States, like most countries, doesn’t have official
relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, but the Trump
administration has “ramped up” its support for the self-ruled,
democratic country over the years, Reuters notes, and Pompeo’s latest move
appears to be part of an effort to “lock in a tough approach” to
Beijing before the White House transition takes place later this month.
Taiwan’s government welcomed the decision, but
Chinese state media was unsurprisingly critical. One piece of commentary
published by CGTN, the English-language channel of state broadcaster
CCTV, called it a “cowardly act
of sabotage” that “crossed a dangerous red line.” And Hu Xijin,
the editor of China’s state-owned Global Times, warned — in a since-delated
tweet — that Taiwan could face repercussions for Pompeo’s actions, The Associated
Press reports.
US dollar demise will soon be attributed to
bitcoin rise
(Source rt.com) The millions of investors betting on bitcoin, including big
guns such as Paul Tudor Jones and BlackRock, don’t have to fear their
investment being extinguished by financialization, unlike the gold and
bond “vigilantes,” Max Keiser said. “I predict that, very soon, you’ll start to see
headlines in Bloomberg, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal that say,
‘US dollar is down today because of bitcoin going up,’” he
said, as he explained why the power of central banks is waning. “Once that connection is made… you’re gonna
see a crack up in the bitcoin price and the total collapse in the dollar
price.” Precious-metals analyst Craig Hemke joined the show and
predicted that the greenback, which finished 2020 in decline against major
currencies, would drop further this year.