ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

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January 19, 2021  (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Capitol attack

Other national news

WORLD

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

 

U.S.

Capitol attack

U.S. pursuing seditious conspiracy cases in 'unprecedented' probe of Capitol assault (Reuters)



The United States has opened criminal investigations of more than 170 people who stormed the Capitol last week and plans to charge some of the most serious offenders with assault and seditious conspiracy for their role in the violence, a federal prosecutor said on Tuesday.

67 of public blame Trump for deadly riot (Newsweek)

Most Americans believe Donald Trump is responsible for provoking the violence that shook Capitol Hill last week, according to a recent national poll. The survey, conducted by ABC News and Ipsos, collected responses from 570 U.S. adults between Friday and Saturday. It found that more than two-thirds of the poll's participants—67 percent—blame the sitting president for Wednesday's riots.

Some members of Congress fear the Capitol mob attack was an inside job (Axios)

An information gap following the Capitol assault has fueled fears among members of Congress that it was an inside job involving the Capitol Police. Why it matters: The mass resignations by the Capitol Police chief and Senate and House sergeant-at-arms, coupled with few briefings by federal officials like the FBI, have left important questions unanswered ..

Insider: White House was Warned March was Illegal (GregPalast.com)

Before Donald Trump exhorted the Jan. 6 rally to march on the Capitol, the White House had been warned by the rally sponsor that there was no permit for a march, that DC Metro Police were promised there would be no march, and that such an unplanned march was dangerous.

As a result, the Metro police were stunned, undermanned and unprepared ... Even more damning, the march Trump set in motion was led and promoted by ultra-right, violence-threatening extremist Ali Alexander, head of Stop the Steal. The Palast Investigative Team filmed Alexander, only weeks before the riot, exhorting a crowd:  “Either they take Trump …[or] we’ll light the whole sh*t on fire!”

Lawmakers propose Congressional Medal for war vet who lured mob from Senate chamber (Local 12)

A U.S. Capitol police officer hailed as a hero for singlehandedly holding back rioters during Jan. 6 riot is being considered for a Congressional Gold Medal in a resolution proposed by legislators, according to Congress.gov. Officer Eugene Goodman lured a mob away from trying to enter the Senate chamber during the Capitol riot last week. Goodman is an Iraq combat veteran and a member of the XVIII Airborne Corps.

Six hours of paralysis: Inside Trump’s failure to act after a mob stormed the Capitol (Washington Post)

Hiding from the rioters in a secret location away from the Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appealed to Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) phoned Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter. And Kellyanne Conway, a longtime Trump confidante and former White House senior adviser, called an aide who she knew was standing at the president’s side. But as senators and House members trapped inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday begged for immediate help during the siege, they struggled to get through to the president, who — safely ensconced in the West Wing — was too busy watching fiery TV images of the crisis unfolding around them to act or even bother to hear their pleas.

The FBI and DC police want the public to help identify Capitol rioters (CNN)

Both the FBI and Washington police are asking Americans to step up and help them identify people who participated in Wednesday's riot and insurrection at the US Capitol.

FBI Arrests Queens Man for Allegedly Plotting a Second Attack on U.S. Capitol (Complex)

The FBI has arrested a Queens resident who is accused of plotting a second attack on Capitol Hill.According to CBS2, 40-year-old Eduard Florea was taken into custody Tuesday at his home in Middle Village. Investigators say the father of two and self-described Proud Boy member had called for another armed invasion of the U.S. Capitol just a week after a mob of Trump supporters seiged the building, resulting in multiple deaths.

Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account (Yahoo News)

On Dec. 8, someone made a simultaneous transfer of 28.15 bitcoins — worth more than $500,000 at the time — to 22 different virtual wallets, most of them belonging to prominent right-wing organizations and personalities.

Secret Service Tells Mediaite They’re Aware of Threats Lin Wood Has Made Against Pence On Parler (Mediate)

The United States Secret Service confirmed to Mediaite on Saturday night that they are aware of the threats made by pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood against Vice President Mike Pence on Parler…“Get the firing squads ready. Pence goes FIRST,” Wood declared on Parler early Thursday morning, which has since been taken down by the alternative social media platform.

The FBI charged a man over traveling to Washington, DC, with an assault rifle and saying he planned to kill Nancy Pelosi on live TV (Business Insider)

A man who traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6 has been charged with threatening to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. was confronted by FBI agents on Thursday, January 7, at a Holiday Inn in Washington, DC, where he was staying. He was charged with transmitting a threat, possessing an unregistered firearm, and unlawfully possessing ammunition, according to court documents

Lawmakers ask for investigation into identity of Capitol tour guests on January 5 (10 News)

More than two dozen representatives are formally requesting an investigation into “the suspicious behavior and access given to visitors to the Capitol Complex” the day before violent pro-Trump rioters stormed the building. The action comes after Representative Mikie Sherrill said during a Facebook Live event she saw lawmakers giving tours on January 5… access to the Capitol Complex has been restricted since public tours ended in March of last year due to the pandemic

A Black officer faced down a mostly White mob at the Capitol. Meet Eugene Goodman. (Washington Post)

… For 85 tense seconds, Goodman tries to hold back dozens of rioters, twice retreating up a flight of stairs. Police experts say he wasn’t fleeing, but luring the mob away from the Senate chambers, where lawmakers were sheltering …Those who know Goodman said his decision to lead the rioters away instead of directly engaging them reflects his military experience. “He was diverting people from getting on the Senate floor and getting hostages. It was the smartest thing that he could have ever done,” his colleague said.. . . His quick thinking enabled those senators to get to safety.”

'Murder the media': Photographers release terrifying video of the mob attack outside the Capitol gates (Alternet)

As violent Trump supporters terrorized the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, members of Congress were not the only people they were looking to intimidate. These terrorists also targeted journalists and press under Donald Trump's message of declaring the news and media an "enemy of the people."  "Murder the media," was written on a door of the Capitol while terrorists took over and attacked a group of reporters. In one incident John Minchillo, a photographer of the Associated Press, was attacked by a mob of Trump supporters outside the Capitol building. The violent incident was captured on video and shared by another photographer on Twitter.

 Capitol attack: The five people who died (The Guardian)

Family members and law enforcement have confirmed more details on the now five people who died in an attempted insurrection against the United States on Wednesday, including a Capitol police officer who died from his injuries.

Some among America's military allies believe Trump deliberately attempted a coup and may have had help from federal law-enforcement officials (Business Insider)

The supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday to stop the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory were attempting a violent coup that multiple European security officials said appeared to have at least tacit support from aspects of the US federal agencies responsible for securing the Capitol complex.

Pence took lead as Trump initially resisted sending National Guard to Capitol (CNN)

Vice President Mike Pence, not President Donald Trump, helped facilitate the decision to mobilize members of the DC National Guard Wednesday when violence at the US Capitol building started to escalate, according to a source familiar with the move and public comments from top officials…The news raises questions about who was acting as commander in chief on one of America's darkest days, which saw the country's legislature overrun for the first time since the British attacked and burned the building in August 1814.

Feds say police found a pickup truck full of bombs and guns near Capitol insurrection as wide-ranging investigation unfurls (CNN)

An Alabama man allegedly parked a pickup truck packed with 11 homemade bombs, an assault rifle and a handgun two blocks from the US Capitol building on Wednesday for hours before authorities ever noticed, according to federal prosecutors… Coffman, 70, told police he had mason jars filled with "melted Styrofoam and gasoline." Federal investigators believe that combination, if exploded, would have the effect of napalm "insofar as it causes the flammable liquid to better stick to objects that it hits upon detonation," according to the court record.

A Riot Amid a Pandemic: Did the Virus, Too, Storm the Capitol? (New York Times)

Some scientists fear that the mayhem on Capitol Hill may prove to have been a so-called super-spreading event.

Majority of Americans want Trump removed immediately after U.S. Capitol violence  (Reuters/Ipsos poll)

Fifty-seven percent of Americans want Republican President Donald Trump to be immediately removed from office after he encouraged a protest this week that escalated into a deadly riot inside the U.S. Capitol, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

FBI focuses on whether some Capitol rioters intended to harm lawmakers or take hostages (MSN)

FBI agents are trying to determine whether some who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday intended to do more than cause havoc and disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, and they are sifting through evidence to see whether anyone wanted to kill or capture lawmakers or their staffers, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Federal murder investigation to be opened in Capitol Police officer's death (CNN)

Prosecutors in the US Attorney's office plan to open a federal murder investigation into the death of Brian D. Sicknick, a US Capitol Police officer who died Thursday night, a law enforcement official tells CNN.  Sicknick was injured Wednesday when a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol.

FBI: No evidence Antifa was involved in capitol riot (The Hill)

No evidence has been found that members of the left-wing antifa movement were involved in this week’s storming of the Capitol building, the FBI said Friday, contradicting a narrative pushed by some Trump allies… Among those who have been identified from the Capitol riots are white nationalist and “QAnon Shaman” Jason Tankersley and Nick Ochs, founder of the Hawaii chapter for the far-right group Proud Boys, among others.

Other national news

2nd stimulus: IRS urges people to watch mail for these envelopes (Fox 5)

Millions of Americans will be receiving their $600 stimulus check in the mail this month, and the Internal Revenue Service urged people Thursday to keep a careful eye on their mailboxes for the plain, white envelope holding their COVID relief payment. For those who don’t receive a direct deposit, they should watch their mail for either a paper check or a prepaid debit card, the IRS says. People who received the first stimulus payment as part of the CARES Act in the form of a check may not get their second payment in the same form, and vice versa, the IRS said.

Women accounted for 100% of the 140,000 jobs shed by the U.S. economy in December (Fortune)

Women accounted for all of U.S. job losses in December, dramatically underscoring the pandemic's unrelentingly disastrous impact on working women.

US budget deficit up 60.7% in first 3 months of budget year (AP)

The U.S. government’s deficit in the first three months of the budget year was a record-breaking $572.9 billion, 60.7% higher than the same period a year ago, as spending to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic surged while revenue declined.

Investors race into munis as Biden announces stimulus plan to cash-strapped states (Financial Times)

President-elect’s proposed package of $1.9tn in aid bolsters appeal of even financially stressed localities

Greyhound offering free rides home for runaways between ages of 12 and 21 (Fox)

Greyhound bus is teaming up with the National Runaway Safeline to safely bring runaways back home…To get a free ticket, runaways are asked to call the NRS helpline and let them know they are ready to be reunited with their family…Free tickets are also being offered to the parent or legal guardian if the runaway is under the age of 15. You can reach the NRS helpline at 1-800-786-2929.

Proud Boys leader arrested in the burning of Black Lives Matter banner, D.C. police say (Washington Post)

The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested by D.C. police Monday afternoon on a warrant charging him with burning a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a historic Black church during a demonstration last month, officials said… Police said Tarrio, who was in custody Monday evening, also was charged with two felony counts of possession of high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.

GOP Rebukes Trump as Senate Votes 83-13 to Override His Veto of Defense Bill (Reuters)

President Trump’s fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Friday overrode his veto for the first time in his nearly four years in office, pushing through a defense policy bill against his objections just weeks before he leaves office.

 

One-third of America’s rivers have changed color since 1984 (AP)

America’s rivers are changing color — and people are behind many of the shifts, a new study said…The chief causes of color changes are farm fertilizer run-off, dams, efforts to fight soil erosion and man-made climate change, which increases water temperature and rain-related run-off, the study authors said.

WORLD

COVID wards 'full of children' as UK pandemic explodes (Reuters)

Britain has reactivated emergency hospitals built at the start of the pandemic and shut primary schools in London on Friday (local time) to counter the rapid spread of a much more infectious variant of the novel coronavirus.

US will require all arriving passengers to get COVID-19 test (AP)

Anyone flying to the U.S. will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19, health officials announced….

Aviation deaths rise worldwide in 2020 even as fatal incidents, flights fall (Reuters)

The number of people killed in large commercial airplane crashes rose in 2020 to 299 worldwide, even as the number of crashes fell by more than 50%, a Dutch consulting firm said on Friday.

U.K. Judge Refuses to Extradite Julian Assange to U.S. (Time)

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, will not be extradited to face charges in the U.S., a British judge ruled on Monday. The judge, Vanessa Baraitser, said extradition would be “oppressive” because of his mental health, the Associated Press reported. Assange was at “real risk” of suicide, she said, adding that she was not satisfied that the U.S. prison system would be able to prevent him from ending his own life. The U.S. government is expected to appeal the decision.



 


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