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Religious Organizations Express Support to Biden & Harris on Historic Inauguration; Call for Nat’l Healing & End to Divisiveness

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AP

By: Fern Sidman

In reaction to Wednesday’s historic inauguration of our nation’s 46th president, religious organizations weighed in by expressing their support for the 78-year-old Joseph R. Biden Jr.  Biden took the oath of office at approximately 12 noon on an exceptionally crisp January day.  He was surrounded by his wife. Dr. Jill Biden, his son Hunter, his daughter Ashley and the rest of the Biden family.

Also on the outdoor platform at the Capitol were Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, members of Congress and former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Reflecting on the violence at the Capitol only two weeks ago, many news outlets commented that this building which is often described by the media as the temple of democracy and a purveyor of freedom had been desecrated with vitriolic hate but now shines brightly as a beacon of hope in an otherwise divisive world.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and the entire Trump family boarded Air Force One for the final time at Joint Base Andrews on their way to Mar-a-Lago, the Trump estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump told the awaiting crowd at the airport that he would be back “in some kind of form” and expressed his appreciation to those who have shown their support to him in the administration.

Expressing their support for Biden were such religious organizations as the Agudath Israel of America, the nation’s largest and most influential Orthodox Jewish organization. In a letter to both Biden and Harris, the organization said, “we are pleased to take this opportunity to congratulate you upon your inauguration to the presidency and vice presidency of our great nation. You have assumed these positions of leadership at a time of great turmoil and uncertainty. But we are heartened by, and wholeheartedly endorse, your quest for national unity and for healing a troubled and divided America. Please consider us full partners in the pursuit of that noble mission. We look forward to working with your administration on both domestic and foreign issues of mutual interest. For now, allow us to convey our commitment, our best wishes, and above all, our prayers to the Almighty that He grant you the strength and wisdom to successfully face the formidable challenges that lie ahead.”

Political insider and president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder extended his congratulations to Biden and Harris on the inauguration by issuing the following statement:

“On behalf of the more than 100 Jewish communities across the globe affiliated with the World Jewish Congress, I am delighted to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. on his inauguration as the 46th president of the United States and to Kamala Harris as vice president.

As an honorary Delawarean by marriage, and as a former U.S. Ambassador to Austria and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, I have known President Biden for over 50 years and know that the Jewish community could not have a better friend and ally in the White House.

In 2016, when we honored President Biden with our highest award, the WJC Theodor Herzl Award, he said: ‘Indifference is silence, and silence is consent.’ I know that he will continue to stand by those words as he takes the helm of this country and steers us toward a future of equality, standing up and speaking out for what is fair and what is right.

The World Jewish Congress extends heartfelt wishes to the Biden and Harris families as they embark on the next four years. We take this moment to acknowledge the poignant absence of Beau Biden, a friend of Delaware’s Jewish community and dedicated public servant.

The World Jewish Congress, and I personally, look forward to working closely with the Biden-Harris administration in meeting the many challenges that confront us, both domestically and internationally, starting with the still raging COVID-19 pandemic that threatens all of us, and the urgent need to rid our society of antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, and all other forms of ethnic or religious hatred, and to counter Holocaust denial, distortion, trivialization and mockery wherever it appears.”

Also on Wednesday, the Rabbinical Alliance of America – Igud HaRabbonim, an organization representing over 950 rabbis issued a statement wishing “success to President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on assuming the mantle of leadership of the United States of America, serving as the world’s leaders of freedom, democracy and justice. Inauguration Day represents hope, opportunity, a new beginning.

As this new administration begins its work, the country faces many daunting challenges. We pray that Heaven guide the President and Vice President to lead this great country from the dark times of the pandemic to the sunlight of a healthy world full of optimism, faith, resilience and love. May the President and Vice President be bestowed from Heaven with the wisdom and fortitude to unite America from its current divisiveness and strife.”

Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, the executive vice president of the RAA/Igud added that, “Leadership requires a sharp eye, perceptive ear, loving heart and keen acumen. The Rabbinical Alliance of America prays that the Lord bless America’s government and leadership with these much needed gifts. May the Lord pour out His blessings on this land and its President, Vice President, judges, officers and officials, as they work faithfully for the public good. May the Lord grant them the wisdom and strength to successfully fulfill their duties with dignity, so that peace, tranquility, happiness and freedom will never depart from our land. “

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO/Executive Director Janice Weinman released the following joint statement on Wednesday.

“Hadassah congratulates President Biden and Vice President Harris on this historic day. It is with great pride and full hearts that today America has a woman in the White House, serving the American people in the second highest office in the land. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration on a wide range of issues of importance to Hadassah’s nearly 300,000 members, including enhancing the US-Israel relationship, combating antisemitism at home and abroad, and strengthening women’s rights and women’s health.

The President and Vice President have taken office at a time when mounting challenges – and opportunities – face our nation. Moving forward will require civility, cooperation and tolerance. We are eager to partner with the Biden Administration in the coming years to advance policies that speak to our concerns. We wish them wisdom, health and success in guiding the nation.”

In a statement issued by the government press office in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sent his congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their historic inauguration.

“President Biden, you and I have had a warm personal friendship going back many decades. I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance, to continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront common challenges, chief among them the threat posed by Iran. I wish you the greatest success. God bless the United States of America. God bless Israel,” Netanyahu said.

The leadership of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel Christian organization, issued the following statement on Wednesday on the occasion of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris taking office.

“After a difficult and challenging year, I pray the Lord blesses President Biden, Vice President Harris and their administration with the wisdom of Solomon as they lead our nation and the world,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee. “Christians United for Israel looks forward to working with the new administration, as we continue to strengthen the US-Israel relationship and keep these two nations safe and secure,” Hagee added.  With more than 10 million members, Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its educational message.

 

 

Congresswoman Tlaib: ‘Israel is a racist state’

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By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib attacked Israel on Tuesday, claiming that her grandmother living in lands controlled by the Palestinian Authority was being denied a coronavirus vaccine because of Israeli “racism.”

Interviewed by the Democracy Now! television program, Tlaib latched onto recent accusations by anti-Israel organizations that claimed Israel was responsible for providing coronavirus vaccinations to Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority itself has not requested vaccines from Israel and for the past several decades has run its own separate healthcare system under the terms of the Oslo Accords.

The PA has repeatedly said it is procuring its own vaccines through the World Health Organization and the UN, and last December announced it had purchased 4 million doses of the Russian coronavirus vaccine, 5,000 of which are due to arrive this week, Reuters reported.

Tlaib ignored the Palestinian health program and laid the blame on Israel, calling it a “racist state” because “they would deny Palestinians like my grandmother access to a vaccine; that they don’t believe that she’s an equal human being that deserves to live, deserves to be protected by this global pandemic.”

“Israel has no intention of every being caring, or allow equality or freedom for them [Palestinians] as their neighbors,” she charged.

Israeli officials have stated clearly that their responsibility is to their own population. The Health Ministry is inoculating all Israelis, including its roughly 2 million Arab citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

Tlaib is known for her anti-Semitic statements and support for the anti-Israel BDS movement that the U.S. State Department declared last year is a “manifestation of anti-Semitism.”

When it became clear earlier this month that the deliveries of the Russian vaccine were delayed, Palestinian officials started blaming Israel and anti-Israel organizations echoed the accusation, drawing fierce rebukes from Israeli NGOs.

“The PA has been assuring its population for two months that its Ministry of Health is in ‎control, has ordered vaccines, and that their arrival is imminent, without Israel’s help and the PA’s behavior following its inability to acquire the Covid‏-‏‎19 ‎vaccine fast enough is no different,” said Maurice Hirsch of the media watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch, which reported last week on the Palestinian efforts.

”The PA has chosen its default ‎excuse for all PA failures: to blame Israel,” Hirsch said. “This sudden attack ignores the fact that the PA did not want Israel’s help and did not ‎ask for Israel’s help, and contradicts its repeated assurances that it succeeded to ‎secure the vaccines.”

Hirsch documented that in November, Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Alkaila met with WHO and UN officials, announcing that the PA would “submit the ‎necessary documents to the WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and ‎Immunization (GAVI) to ensure that Palestine is provided with adequate coronavirus ‎vaccines.”

It was widely reported at the time that Israel was purchasing vaccines from multiple sources, however, the Palestinian Authority made no request to Israel and on Dec. 12 announced the deal for 4 million doses of the Russian coronavirus vaccine. On Jan. 9, the PA announced they were getting 2 million more doses from the British company AstraZeneca

World’s Largest Asset Manager, Blackrock, Is About To Start Buying Bitcoin

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(TJVNEWS.COM) As noted by MacroScope, on January 20 BlackRock made its first mention of potentially buying bitcoin assets in prospectuses filed for its BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities and BlackRock Global Allocation Fund Inc.

In the filings Blackrock reveals that “certain Funds may engage in futures contracts based on bitcoin” and detail potential risks for such activities, noting that: “A Fund’s investment in bitcoin futures may involve illiquidity risk, as bitcoin futures are not as heavily traded as other futures given that the bitcoin futures market is relatively new.”

Last month, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink remarked during a panel appearance that bitcoin is gaining legitimacy as an asset class, but cautioned that “[w]e have to go through many markets to see if it’s going to be permanently real. Zero Hedge reported

Supporters Line Mar-a-Lago Streets to ‘Welcome Home’ Donald Trump, Watch Farewell Speech

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A supporter of President Donald Trump waits for the motorcade on the road to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Palm Beach estate, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

 

CHARLIE SPIERING
Supporters of former President Donald Trump lined the streets of Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Wednesday to welcome the president to where he will be spending his time post-presidency.
The now-former president left the nation’s capital Wednesday morning before the inauguration ceremony for President Joe Biden.
Along with former first lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump left the White House shortly after 8:00 a.m.
“Goodbye. I love you. We’ll be back in some form,” the former president told supporters before boarding Air Force One for the last time to head to his estate in Florida.
A line of supporters waited for him in Mar-a-Lago, holding signs such as “Welcome Home,”  “We Love You President Trump,” and “Pres Trump won,” WOFL reported.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Trump’s supporters had been lining up for hours along Southern Boulevard between Palm Beach Airport and Trump’s resort to wish him well.
Trump’s final motorcade slowed down for his supporters as they cheered and waved him on.
Hundreds of people lined the streets by the time the final motorcade rolled by.
“We want to show him he’s not alone,” Daniel Rakus, 65, of Palm Beach, said. “He did a great job. We support him.’”

Breitbart

Political Scientist ,Author Charged With Acting As An Unregistered Agent Of The Iranian Government

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Defendant Lobbied U.S. Officials, Published Books and Articles Advancing Iranian Viewpoints While Secretly Employed by the Iranian Mission to the United Nations

A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, also known as Lotfolah Kaveh Afrasiabi, with acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).  Afrasiabi was arrested yesterday at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts, and will make his initial appearance this morning in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal.

John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Seth D. DuCharme, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Boston Field Office, announced the arrest and charges.

“For over a decade, Kaveh Afrasiabi pitched himself to Congress, journalists, and the American public as a neutral and objective expert on Iran,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  “However, all the while, Afrasiabi was actually a secret employee of the Government of Iran and the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations (IMUN) who was being paid to spread their propaganda.  In doing so, he intentionally avoided registering with the Department of Justice as the Foreign Agents Registration Act required.  He likewise evaded his obligation to disclose who was sponsoring his views.  We now begin to hold him responsible for those deeds.”

“Afrasiabi allegedly sought to influence the American public and American policymakers for the benefit of his employer, the Iranian government, by disguising propaganda as objective policy analysis and expertise,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DuCharme.  “This Office is committed to the robust enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which provides the American people the tools they need to evaluate opinions and arguments in the marketplace of ideas by requiring foreign agents to declare their paymasters.  Those, like the defendant, who conceal the full extent of their work for a foreign government when the law requires disclosure will face consequences for their actions.”

“Anyone working to advance the agenda of a foreign government within the United States is required by law to register as an agent of that country,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.  “Mr. Afrasiabi never disclosed to a congressman, journalists or others who hold roles of influence in our country that he was being paid by the Iranian government to paint an untruthfully positive picture of the nation.  Our laws are designed to create transparency in foreign relations, and they are not arbitrary or malleable.  As today’s action demonstrates, we will fully enforce them to protect our national security.”

“Our arrest of Kaveh Afrasiabi makes it clear that the United States is not going to allow undeclared agents of Iran to operate in our country unchecked.  For more than a decade, Mr. Afrasiabi was allegedly paid, directed, and controlled by the Government of Iran to lobby U.S. government officials, including a congressman; and to create and disseminate information favorable to the Iranian government,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Bonavolonta.  “The FBI will continue to do everything it can to uncover these hidden efforts and hold accountable those who work for our adversaries to the detriment of our national security.”

According to the complaint, Afrasiabi is a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a lawful permanent resident of the United States.  Afrasiabi holds a PhD, and frequently publishes books and articles, and appears on English-language television programs discussing foreign relations matters, particularly Iran’s relations with the United States.  Afrasiabi has identified or portrayed himself as a political scientist, a former political science professor or as an expert on foreign affairs.

Since at least 2007 to the present, Afrasiabi has also been secretly employed by the Iranian government and paid by Iranian diplomats assigned to the Permanent Mission of the IMUN.  Afrasiabi has been paid approximately $265,000 in checks drawn on the IMUN’s official bank accounts since 2007, and has received health insurance through the IMUN’s employee health benefit plans since at least 2011.

In the course of his employment by the Iranian government, Afrasiabi has lobbied a U.S. congressman and the U.S. Department of State to advocate for policies favorable to Iran, counseled Iranian diplomats concerning U.S. foreign policy, made television appearances to advocate for the Iranian government’s views on world events, and authored articles and opinion pieces espousing the Iranian government’s position on various matters of foreign policy.  Afrasiabi has long known that FARA requires agents of foreign principals to register with the U.S. Department of Justice and has discussed information obtained from FARA disclosures with others.  Nevertheless, Afrasiabi did not register as an agent of the Government of Iran.

For example, in January 2020, Afrasiabi emailed Iran’s Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative to the United Nations with advice for “retaliation” for the U.S. military airstrike that killed Major General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, the external operations arm of the Iranian government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, proposing that the Iranian government “end all inspections and end all information on Iran’s nuclear activities pending a [United Nations Security Council] condemnation of [the United States’] illegal crime.”  Afrasiabi claimed that such a move would, among other things, “strike fear in the heart of [the] enemy.”

Afrasiabi has admitted in his own communications that his extensive body of published works and television appearances, in which he has consistently advocated perspectives and policy positions favored by the Iranian government, has been attributable to the funding he receives from the Iranian government.  For example, in a July 28, 2020, email to Iran’s Foreign Minister, Afrasiabi included “links for many of [his] works, including books, hundreds of articles in international newspapers and academic journals,” telling Iran’s Foreign Minister, “Without support none of this would have been possible! This has been a very productive relationship spanning decades that ought not to be interrupted.”

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of both charged offenses, Afrasiabi faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian C. Richardson and Michael T. Keilty are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

USDOJ

 

‘Good Riddance!’ China Celebrates Trump Departure

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(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FRANCES MARTEL

Chinese government media effusively celebrated the departure of outgoing President Donald Trump on Wednesday, describing the anti-communist leader as “negative and destructive” and exclaiming, “good riddance!”

The latter arrived via a post on Twitter from the Xinhua news agency, the Chinese Communist Party’s typically drier “hard news” outlet. While the Communist Party bans Chinese citizens from using American social media networks like Twitter, the government’s propagandists have full access to the outlet and regularly use it to post stories favorable to China.

The Xinhua post celebrating Trump’s departure was accompanied by a graphic and a link to a Xinhua article published last week that predicted, “the anti-China policy of the current U.S. administration will only end in failure.”

The Xinhua article also declared Trump and those who shared his opposition to the Communist Party “weak on the inside” and declared China’s “strength and determination” would secure it a victory in its quest for hegemony — a quest the Foreign Ministry regularly denies exists.

As president, Trump made opposition to the Communist Party’s myriad human rights atrocities, its attempts to colonize impoverished states in Latin America and Africa, and its promotion of authoritarianism at international venues like the United Nations the cornerstone of his foreign policy. Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods to weaken the Communist Party’s stranglehold on manufacturing, enhanced ties with states that China targeted under its “Belt and Road” debt trap plan, and withdrew from the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) in response to its poor handling of the Chinese coronavirus, fueled by its close ties to the Communist Party. On his last day in office, Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the genocide of Muslims in western China, millions of which have been trapped in concentration camps for years, was a “genocide.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Pompeo by calling him a “clown” on Wednesday and claiming the genocide of Uyghurs and other Muslims in western Xinjiang province was “a conspiracy of evil politicians like Pompeo” and not reality.

As a result of Trump’s policies, China’s influence has waned significantly in the past four years and campaigns to defend the Uyghur Muslim people of western China have gained traction. Trump’s policies have also limited the rogue activity of Chinese allies like Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba. In contrast, as a candidate, President-elect Joe Biden suggested that he would be less aggressive in combatting Communist Party influence, opting to “gather the rest of the world” rather than unilaterally act to contain Chinese influence.

Chinese state media have cautiously expressed hope Biden would return to the Obama-era “status quo” of policies towards China, which allowed the Communist Party to engage in extensive intellectual property theft, espionage, and other concerning behavior.

The Global Times, China’s more aggressive opinion propaganda publication, published two articles consolidating alleged responses from Chinese “netizens” to prompts about Trump on Weibo, a Chinese social media outlet. The Communist Party strictly monitors speech on Weibo, WeChat, and other Chinese social media networks to prevent any opinions that differ with that of the Party from appearing online. Given this reality, the Global Times found that Weibo users had reached an “overwhelming consensus … of negativity and mockery” towards Trump.

“The most common words and phrases mentioned under the Global Times posts include destruction, dishonest, selfish, populism, McCarthyism, unilateralism, protectionism, anti-globalization, untrustworthy, messy, crazy, arrogant,” the newspaper claimed, “uncertainty, low-credit, funny, laughable, gravedigger of US hegemony, and enemy to pro-US sycophants.”

The Global Times also claimed that some Chinese believed Trump to be secretly a Communist Party agent attempting to destroy the United States and referred to him as “Comrade Jianguo,” meaning “build the country.”

The Global Times‘ stable of Party-approved “experts” also disparaged Trump, claiming that the president had “brought unprecedented destruction to the legal legitimacy and moral legitimacy of the U.S.” Paramount among Trump’s listed sins is heralding in an era of “grievous levels of individualism” in America.

China Daily, another Communist Party newspaper, accused President Trump of a “coup attempt” after the January 6 riot in the U.S. Capitol and accused him of destroying the “foundations of [America’s] democracy.”

“What awaits the members of the outgoing administration after all the power plays they engaged in over the past four years will be humbling. But they will not be missed and will receive little sympathy given their inability to pause and reflect on their ideological rigidity and its consequences,” China Daily gloated.

Trump departed the White House early Wednesday morning after delivering remarks thanking his supporters for the privilege of serving in the presidency.

“I wish the new administration great love and great success. I think they’ll have great success. They have the foundation to something really spectacular,” Trump said in his speech, promising supporters, “we’ll be back in some form.”

Biden takes the helm as president: ‘Democracy has prevailed’: Watch The Event

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AP

(AP) — Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed” as he took the helm of a deeply divided nation and inherited a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.

Biden’s inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty, a ceremony of resilience as the hallowed American democratic rite unfurled at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago. The chilly Washington morning was dotted with snow flurries, but the sun emerged just before Biden took the oath of office, the quadrennial ceremony persevering even though it was encircled by security forces evocative of a war zone and devoid of crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious and democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” Biden said. “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day in history and hope, of renewal and resolve.”

And then he pivoted to challenges ahead, acknowledging the surging virus that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the United States. Biden looked out over a capital city dotted with empty storefronts that attest to the pandemic’s deep economic toll and where summer protests laid bare the nation’s renewed reckoning on racial injustice.

“We have much to do in this winter of peril, and significant possibilities: much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain,” Biden said. “Few people in our nation’s history have more challenged, or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now.”

His predecessor’s absence underscored the healing that is needed.

Flouting tradition, Donald Trump departed Washington on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration rather than accompany his successor to the Capitol. Though three other former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — gathered to watch the ceremonial transfer of power, Trump, awaiting his second impeachment trial, instead flew to Florida after stoking grievance among his supporters with the lie that Biden’s win was illegitimate.

Biden, in his third run for the presidency, staked his candidacy less on any distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. Biden did not mention Trump by name in the early moments of his inaugural address but alluded to the rifts his predecessor had helped create.

“I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh, ugly reality of racism, nativism, fear, demonization that have long torn us apart,” Biden said. “This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward and we must meet this moment as the United States

 

Biden came to office with a well of empathy and resolve born by personal tragedy as well as a depth of experience forged from more than four decades in Washington. At age 78, he was the oldest president inaugurated.

More history was made at his side, as Kamala Harris became the first woman to be vice president. The former U.S. senator from California is also the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government.

The two were sworn in during an inauguration ceremony with few parallels in history.

Tens of thousands of troops are on the streets to provide security precisely two weeks after a violent mob of Trump supporters, incited by the Republican president, stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of Biden’s victory.

“Here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people,” Biden said. “To stop the work of our democracy. To drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever. Not ever.”

The tense atmosphere evoked the 1861 inauguration of Lincoln, who was secretly transported to Washington to avoid assassins on the eve of the Civil War, or Roosevelt’s inaugural in 1945, when he opted for a small, secure ceremony at the White House in the waning months of World War II.

The day began with a reach across the aisle after four years of bitter partisan battles under Trump. At Biden’s invitation, congressional leaders from both parties bowed their heads in prayer in the socially distanced service just a few blocks from the White House.

Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts; Harris was sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike Pence, standing in for Trump, sat nearby as Lady Gaga, holding a gold microphone, sang the National Anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band.

Biden oversaw a “Pass in Review,” a military tradition that honors the peaceful transfer of power to a new commander in chief. Later, Biden, Harris and their spouses were to be joined by that trio of former presidents to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Ceremony.

Still later, Biden was to join the end of a slimmed-down inaugural parade as he moves into the White House. Because of the pandemic, much of this year’s parade was to be a virtual affair featuring performances from around the nation.

In the evening, in lieu of the traditional glitzy balls that welcome a new president to Washington, Biden will take part in a televised concert that also marks the return of A-list celebrities to the White House orbit after they largely eschewed Trump. Among those in the lineup: Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“I protested 45’s inauguration, and I wanted to be here when he left,” said Raelyn Maxwell of Park City, Utah. ”And I wanted to celebrate the new president.” She brought a bouquet of roses she hoped to toss to Harris and some champagne to toast the occasion.

Trump is the first president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor. In a cold wind, Marine One took off from the White House and soared above a deserted capital city to his own farewell celebration at nearby Joint Base Andrews. There, he boarded Air Force One for the final time as president for the flight to his Florida estate.

“I will always fight for you. I will be watching. I will be listening and I will tell you that the future of this country has never been better,” said Trump, who wished the incoming administration well but once again declined to mention Biden’s name.

The symbolism was striking: The very moment Trump disappeared into the doorway of Air Force One, Biden stepped out of the Blair House, the traditional guest lodging for presidents-in-waiting, and into his motorcade for the short ride to church.

Trump did adhere to one tradition and left a note for Biden in the Oval Office, according to the White House, which did not release its contents. And Trump, in his farewell remarks, hinted at a political return, saying “we will be back in some form.”

And he, without question, will shadow Biden’s first days in office.

Trump’s second impeachment trial could start as early as this week. That could test the ability of the Senate, poised to come under Democratic control, to balance impeachment proceedings with confirmation hearings and votes on Biden’s Cabinet choices.

Biden was eager to go big early, with an ambitious first 100 days that includes a push to speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass a $1.9 trillion virus relief package. On Day One, he’ll also send an immigration proposal to Capitol Hill that would create an eight-year path to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally.

He also planned a 10-day blitz of executive orders on matters that don’t require congressional approval — a mix of substantive and symbolic steps to unwind the Trump years. Among the planned steps: rescinding travel restrictions on people from several predominantly Muslim countries; rejoining the Paris climate accord; issuing a mask mandate for those on federal property; and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from their families after crossing the border.

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Additional reporting by Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Darlene Superville in Washington and Michelle L. Price in Las Vegas.

DC is Armed Camp as Biden Takes Office; Senate Begins Cabinet Confirmations

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President-elect Joe Biden stands with his wife Jill Biden after speaking at the Major Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in New Castle, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Edited by: TJVNews.com

As of this writing on Tuesday afternoon, President-elect Joe Biden is making a sober entrance to the nation’s capital; ready to assume power as America reels from the coronavirus pandemic, soaring unemployment and grave concerns about more violence as he prepares to take the oath of office.

Biden, an avid fan of Amtrak, had planned to take a train into Washington ahead of Wednesday’s Inauguration Day, but scratched that plan in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

He instead flew into a military airbase just outside the capital on Tuesday afternoon and was set to motorcade into fortress D.C. — a city that’s been flooded by some 25,000 National Guard troops guarding a Capitol, White House and National Mall that are wrapped in a maze of barricades and tall fencing.

Flags are placed on the National Mall ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Shortly before Biden departed for Washington, the U.S. reached another grim milestone in the pandemic, surpassing 400,000 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

“These are dark times,” Biden told dozens of supporters in an emotional sendoff in Delaware before departing for Washington. “But there’s always light.”

Biden, who ran for the presidency as a cool head who could get things done, plans to issue a series of executive orders on Day One — including reversing President Donald Trump’s effort to leave the Paris climate accord, canceling his travel ban on visitors from several predominantly Muslim countries, and extending pandemic-era limits on evictions and student loan payments.

Trump won’t attend Biden’s inauguration, the first outgoing president to skip the ceremony since Andrew Johnson more than a century and a half ago. Trump remained out of sight in the White House on Tuesday with a bare announced schedule.

President Trump recorded a farewell message saying it was the honor of lifetime to have served the American people.

Trump recorded a farewell message saying it was the honor of lifetime to have served the American people as president. He also listed his accomplishments while in office and said, “As I conclude my term as the 45th President of the United States, I stand before you truly proud of what we have achieved together. We did what we came here to do — and so much more. This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous. We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck — a very important word.”

Biden at his Delaware farewell, held at the National Guard/Reserve Center named after his late son Beau Biden, paid tribute to his home state. After his remarks, he stopped and chatted with friends and well-wishers in the crowd, much like an Iowa rope line at the start of his long campaign journey.

“I’ll always be a proud son of the state of Delaware,” said Biden, who struggled to hold back tears as he delivered brief remarks.

Aides say that Biden’s first event in Washington, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, will be to take part in an evening ceremony at the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial to honor the 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.

Inaugural organizers on Monday finished installing some 200,000 small U.S., state and territorial flags on the National Mall, a display to represent the American people who couldn’t come to the inauguration, which is restricted under the tight security and Covid restrictions.

A worker installs flags on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/David Phillip)

It’s also a reminder of all the president-elect faces as he looks to steer the nation through the pandemic with infections and deaths soaring.

Ahead of Biden’s arrival, 12 U.S. Army National Guard members were removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online, according to two U.S. officials. There was no threat to President-elect Joe Biden, they said.

Biden has assembled his inner circle of advisers and Cabinet officials ahead of Inauguration Day.

Now, he’s waiting on Congress to confirm his nominees — particularly those involved in key national security and economic positions, according to an NPR report.

NPR reported that the Senate scheduled hearings for five key officials on Tuesday, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for defense secretary, Janet Yellen for the Treasury, Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security, Antony Blinken for the State Department and Avril Haines as director of national intelligence.

Full list of positions unveiled include:

– Elizabeth Klein, Deputy Secretary of the Interior

– Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

– Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services

– Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation

– Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary of Education

– Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

– Gary Gensler, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Biden nominated Judge Merrick Garland to serve as the nation’s next attorney general on Jan. 7, according to an ABC7 news report.

Garland, 68, serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He had been nominated to the Supreme Court in 2016 by President Barack Obama to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia, but was never given a confirmation hearing by Senate Republicans who held the vacancy open for President Donald Trump to fill.

Biden announced Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his nominee for labor secretary on Jan. 7.

Walsh, 53, has served as the Democratic mayor of Boston since 2014. The pro-union politician had previously served as head of the Boston Trades Council. Biden spoke at Walsh’s 2017 mayoral inauguration and they share Irish-American backgrounds.

Biden said he seriously considered Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the role but that both decided it was more important for their advancement of a shared political agenda to keep Sanders in the Senate.

Biden announced he’d nominate Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to commerce secretary on Jan. 7

Raimondo, who was first elected governor in 2014 and chaired the Democratic Governors Association in 2019, was one of the women under consideration to be Biden’s running mate and was a potential choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Biden announced Miguel Cardona as his nominee to head the Department of Education on Dec. 22.

Cardona currently serves as Connecticut’s commissioner of education — the first Latino to hold the position. A former public school teacher and student, he is a strong advocate for public education.

Biden announced Michael Regan as his nominee to head the EPA on Dec. 19.

Regan is no stranger to the agency, having previously served nearly a decade there under both Democratic and Republican presidents. He would be the first African American man to run the EPA if confirmed. Regan is currently secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Biden nominated New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior.

If confirmed, she would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary.

At an event on Dec. 19 announcing his latest nominees, Biden noted the significance of having Haaland fill “a critical role.”

“As the first Native American Cabinet secretary in the history of the United States of America, she’ll be a true steward of our national parks, our natural resources and all of our lands,” he said. “The federal government has long broken promises to Native American tribes who have been on this land since time immemorial. With her appointment, Congresswoman Haaland will help me strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship.”

The president-elect announced on Dec. 15 he would nominate Pete Buttigieg to steer the Department of Transportation.

At 38, Buttigieg is the youngest of Biden’s Cabinet picks so far. He is also poised to become the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet post. Buttigieg is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He ran against Biden in the Democratic primary and is seen as a rising star in the party. As transportation secretary, Buttigieg would likely play a key part in implementing Biden’s ambitious infrastructure plan, which aims to offset the impacts of climate change.

Former New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg has been named Deputy Secretary of Transportation in the Biden Administration. She will be incoming Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s number two. A few months ago, Trottenberg had been chosen for President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team.

In addition to those names Biden also named Rohit Chopra, a Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission and an ally to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as his pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Gary Gensler, a former Obama administration official and top staffer on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, is Biden’s pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Biden named former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his selection to head the Department of Energy on Dec. 17.

Granholm led the Wolverine State during the Great Recession, working with the Obama administration to rescue the U.S. auto industry while promoting investments in green energy.

Biden announced on Dec. 8 he will nominate retired four-star Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Department of Defense. Austin previously headed the military’s Central Command, where he was in charge of all American troops in the Middle East.

Biden, on Dec. 10, announced he will nominate former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to serve as his secretary of agriculture. Vilsack led the department for eight years during the Obama administration after he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2009.

Biden announced on Dec. 10 he will nominate Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to serve as his secretary of housing and urban development. Fudge is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Committee on Education and Labor. She is a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was recently elected to a seventh term in Congress, representing the Cleveland area.

Denis McDonough, who served as former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff in his second term, will be nominated, Biden said on Dec. 10, to serve as his secretary of veterans affairs.

On Nov. 23, Biden tapped Antony Blinken as his choice for secretary of state. Blinken has advised the president-elect on foreign policy for almost two decades. Previously, he served as deputy national security adviser and deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration. As the country’s top diplomat, Blinken would be expected to play a pivotal part in the Biden administration’s efforts to rebuild alliances and reenter international agreements like the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Accord, as well as halt the country’s exit from the World Health Organization.

Biden said he would name former Secretary of State John Kerry as his special presidential envoy for climate on Nov. 23. The newly created role marks the first time the National Security Council will include an official dedicated to climate change.

Biden announced he would nominate Linda Thomas-Greenfield for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Nov. 23. Thomas-Greenfield was assistant secretary of state for Africa during the Obama administration. She has served in the Foreign Service for more than three decades. If confirmed, she would be only the second black woman to ever hold the post.

The National Board, membership and professional staff of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) issued a statement to the media on Tuesday congratulating Linda Thomas-Greenfield on being Biden’s choice for United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

“Ms. Thomas-Greenfield’s nomination signals America’s return to diplomacy that seeks to build bridges and mutual understanding and is an unambiguous statement of President-elect Biden’s determination to reengage with the community of nations and reestablish America’s position as a world leader. The restoration of United Nations Ambassador to a cabinet-level position makes clear to allies and non-allies alike that America has a moral obligation to call out undemocratic behavior wherever it is found around the globe, “ the statement said. Hadassah added that, “The accomplishments and vast experience that Ms. Thomas-Greenfield will bring to the job give us hope that the United States can recapture the world’s belief in the American experiment as it was imagined by our nation’s founders almost 250 years ago.”

As part of a rollout of major foreign policy and national security appointments and nominees, the president-elect announced he would nominate Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of homeland security on Nov. 23.

Mayorkas was born in Havana and came to the United States as a refugee. If the Senate votes to confirm him to the position, he would be the first Latino and the first immigrant to lead the agency in charge of implementing the nation’s immigration policies and border laws.

Mayorkas is a veteran of the department; he directed its legal immigration agency and previously served as the deputy secretary of homeland security. He is also one of the architects behind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

Also on Tuesday, the American Jewish Congress expressed their support for the swift confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas to be the country’s next Secretary of Homeland Security in a statement issued to the media. They said that, “ Secretary-designate Mayorkas is supremely qualified for the position, having served as Deputy Secretary in the Obama Administration, and is ready to advance the mission of the department on day one.”

The AJC added that, “As you know, the American Jewish community is deeply concerned about the current situation in the country, from the continuing pandemic to political paralysis to rising Antisemitism. There is a great need for strong security support for the Jewish community at both our physical institutions and in the public realm. This moment calls for effective leadership and we believe that, due to his record of success and commitment to the Jewish community, Secretary-designate Mayorkas can deliver results.”

(AP, NPR)

Additional reporting by Fern Sidman

NYPD Commish Slams Protesters; Says They Don’t Represent MLK

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Screenshot of a BLM activist’s video, allegedly showing an officer drawing his weapon after being harassed by protestors for not wearing a mask.

By: Jared Evan

Recently, an NYPD officer reportedly drew his weapon after being confronted by the demonstrators for not wearing a mask during the pandemic, and this has spurred a new wave of BLM anti- police protests.

BLM have taken to the street once more in NYC and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea slammed the mostly young and white social justice radicals as the “antithesis” of Martin Luther King Jr as they once more caused mayhem in Brooklyn on MLK day.

“On such a day that we’re honoring Martin Luther King, [we have] demonstrations that consist of violence, throwing bottles, breaking property, calling for the death of officers [and] to burn the city down,” Shea said.

“I really can’t think of anything that is more [the] antithesis of what Martin Luther King stood for. I think it’s a disgrace. And it’s time that everyone calls this out.”

The NY post reported Twenty-nine people were arrested at the Monday night demonstration — all of whom were released with summonses or desk appearance tickets, according to cops.

The Barclay’s Center, in the Atlantic Ave area of Brooklyn, has become a popular spot for the predominantly white, college age BLM brigade to gather and abuse the NYPD.

NYPD previously arrested nine Black Lives Matter protesters in Brooklyn Saturday night. The protesters came to call for the firing of an NYPD officer who pulled a handgun on BLM protesters earlier in the week.

A large group of BLM protesters gathered on Saturday night near the Barclays Center to call for the firing of an officer who drew his service weapon during another protest earlier in the week, the New York Post reported. The officer reportedly drew his weapon after being confronted by the demonstrators for not wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The video shows the officer appearing to hold his pistol close to his body and pointed safely to the ground. He reholsters after assessing the situation and draws what appears to be pepper spray from his duty belt. He later deploys an ASP (expandable baton) as the crowd becomes more aggressive.

Virtue signaling over masks is one of the most popular trends of the embolden and radicalized young urban leftist. Leftists love to approach cops and citizens who may have their mask off for even a second and begin to verbally assault, harass and sometimes film the alleged “super spreader”. Mental illness has begun to manifest itself especially among political extremists as a result of the pandemic.

Pfizer to Cuomo: HHS Approval Needed to Sell Covid Vaccine to NY

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(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

By: Jennifer Peltz

Frustrated by the flow of coronavirus vaccine from the federal government, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday floated the idea of buying shots for New Yorkers directly from one of the vaccine makers, Pfizer.

The idea seemed far from a sure bet, with the pharmaceutical giant saying it would need federal approval to sell to state governments. If that were to happen, the cost and amount have yet to be be discussed.

Regardless, Cuomo said he felt compelled to broach the idea as his state, like many others, faces tough vaccine math. At the current pace of federal vaccine shipments to New York, it could take six months or more to get shots to the 7 million residents already eligible under federal guidelines, let alone the roughly 12 million other New Yorkers. Residents have been scrambling to try to get the shots, with many getting shut out and upset.

“My job as governor of New York is to pursue every avenue, and that’s what I’m doing,” the Democratic governor said at a virtual news conference as he released a letter he’d written to New York-based Pfizer about his idea. He told the company it “could help us save lives right here in New York.”

Pfizer Inc., which developed one of the current vaccines with German partner BioNTech, said in a statement that it appreciated Cuomo’s praise and was open to working with the federal Health and Human Services Department on getting the shots as quickly as possible to as many Americans as it could.

“However, before we can sell directly to state governments, HHS would need to approve that proposal,” the company said.

An HHS spokesperson said via email that Cuomo is “trying to circumvent a long-planned federal allocation system by attempting to cut to the front of the line at the expense of fellow jurisdictions.”

The spokesperson said the top priority for HHS is “maximizing the availability of safe and effective vaccines in a manner which is responsible, fair and equitable for all Americans, not just to those in New York State.”

Under the current system, HHS allocates vaccine doses to states and ships them. The federal Food and Drug Administration’s emergency-based authorization for the Pfizer vaccine specifies that it will be supplied “as directed by the U.S. government.”

The federal government has been paying $19.50 per dose for the Pfizer vaccine and has ordered 200 million doses so far, enough to give the two-shot regimen to 100 million people. Other nations around the world have also placed orders.

(AP)

Big Donor Money Flows into NYC Mayoral Race; 38 Candidates Jockey for Job

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Some of the 2021 NYC mayoral race candidates.

By: Ilana Siyance

The 2021 NYC Mayoral race is picking up speed and the money is rushing in.

The crowded race includes some 38 candidates. There are over a dozen Democratic candidates in the race, as per the city’s Campaign Finance Board as of late Friday.

As per the NY Times, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, and Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller were the two reputed Democrats who became early frontrunners in the race. The two were the most well- known candidates and had an early lead with ready connections and a support base, quickly raising enough to qualify for public matching.

The head fundraiser for now is Mr. Adams, who has raised $8.6 million thus far, and will have just over $8 million on hand once his latest expected $1 million of matching funds are distributed. In the most recent period he raised $438,000, of which $123,000 was matchable. Mr. Stringer follows closely. His campaign is slated to have raised a minimum of $8.3 million in total, and to have $7.5 million on hand. In the latest period he raised $458,000, and he is expecting $1.57 million in matching funds.

As per the NY Times, on Friday, another democratic candidate announced that she too qualified for the taxpayer-sponsored matched-funds program, by raising at least $250,000 from at least 1,000 donors. Maya Wiley, a former MSNBC analyst who served as counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said she has raised $715,000 in funds, $280,000 of which would be matchable, qualifying her for $2.2 million in public funds. This brings the total she has raised to nearly $3 million, as per her campaign. Two other Democrats may have also solidified their status as contenders in the mayoral race. Raymond J. McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, reported that he raised $5 million in funding in just three months from the business community. Unlike the other candidates, McGuire will not be participating in the matching-funds program. Andrew Yang, who ran for President of the U.S. in 2020, officially just joined the race on Thursday and is expected to be a strong fundraiser moving forward.

Other leading democratic candidates who participated in but did not meet the requirements for the funds matching program include: Zach Iscol, a nonprofit entrepreneur and former Marine; Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary under President Obama; and Dianne Morales, a nonprofit executive who describes herself as the candidate for the lower and working-class New Yorkers. Candidates still have a chance to qualify for matching funds at the next deadline.

Republicans Asked to Register as Dems to Vote in NYC Mayoral Primary

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Lou Puliafito was a recent Republican candidate for the New York State Assembly Photo Credit: louforall.com

By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh

Republican and independent voters in New York City are receiving letters and text messages offering unsolicited advice about how to get their voice heard in the 2021 mayoral election. The messages urge voters to re-enroll as Democrats so as to enable them to vote in the party’s June primary for mayor — which the letters say is the election which will likely decide the next mayor.

“Many New Yorkers do not realize that the election almost certain to choose the next Mayor is not the November 2021 General Election, but the June 2021 Democratic primary. Why? Almost 70% of NYC voters are registered Democrats, meaning that whoever wins the Democratic primary will almost certainly become the city’s next mayor,” said a letter received by Lou Puliafito, who is a recent Republican candidate for state Assembly. The letter was penned and sent from a group called Be Counted NYC. “But, if you are registered with another political party or not registered with a party you are allowed to update your registration to enroll as a Democrat so that you can vote in this election, but you MUST do so before February 14, 2021,” the letter added.

As reported by the NY Post, Be Counted NYC was founded about a month ago by wellness brand financier Lisa Blau, whose husband is Jeff Blau, the CEO of Related Companies, a major real estate developer in NYC. The group has already spent $1.5 million to reach out to Republican, independent and unaffiliated voters via postal letters, text-messages and phone calls, as per campaign records filed with the Board of Elections.

The letter, which includes a link to re-enroll as a Democrat, continues: “In 2013, about 3% of New Yorkers voted in the Democratic primary and chose New York City’s mayor for the next 8 years. In a democracy, we are all supposed to have a vote in who leads our government.”

Adding more conservative voters into the pool of Democratic voters, may help a more moderate Democratic candidate to become elected. The group’s efforts have raised criticism, however, from Republicans who don’t want to give up just yet, as well as from Democrats who clearly don’t want other party members invading their election.

Responding to a request for statement on Sunday, Blau said, “Be Counted NYC was created to make sure as many people as possible participate in this year’s mayoral election, which is critically important to the future of this City. Our goal is to support civic engagement, every New Yorker should have a voice in this election.”

NY Nursing Homes see Rise in Coronavirus Deaths, as Vaccines Rollout

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The Coronavirus’s infamous death trail in New York’s nursing homes took a break over the summer but now seems to be picking up. Photo Credit: John Minchillo/AP Photo

By Ilana Siyance

The Coronavirus’s infamous death trail in New York’s nursing homes took a break over the summer but now seems to be picking up. The timing coincides with the rollout and initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

As reported by the WSJ, federal data shows that in each of the last three weeks of December, over 200 nursing home residents died of the virus in NYS. That weekly figure is alarmingly higher than the average of roughly 16 deaths a week reported between July to October, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

State officials and nursing home operators are working hard to show that the surge in deaths were not a result of the vaccine, but of a second wave that came on during the winter. They hope that the vaccinations will prove effective in halting the pandemic, and most residents are eager to receive the shots. In the U.S. over 10 million people in total have received a first dose of the immunization, and roughly 540,000 have received the second dose, the NY Times reported.

At the same time, however, there are still those who mistrust the speedily manufactured vaccine and wish to adapt a wait-and-see approach. As per the WSJ, at some nursing home facilities, less than half of staff members have said they want to receive the vaccine, said Stephen Hanse, president of the New York State Health Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes. “There needs to be better education” about the importance of vaccinations, he said, because some workers are resisting vaccinations. Jill Montag, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, said the agency was working to communicate with communities to ease fears of the vaccine, saying it is safe and effective.

Negative media coverage has helped ignite resistance to the vaccine. On Jan. 10, the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity published an article entitled, “A Nursing Home had Zero Coronavirus Deaths. Then, It Vaccinates Residents for Coronavirus and the Deaths Begin.” The story on Syracuse.com refers to The Commons on St. Anthony 300-bed nursing home in Auburn, New York which had a recent outbreak which infected 137 residents, and claimed 24 lives. On Jan.13, the home’s operator, Julie Sheedy, admonished the publishers for “false and dangerously misleading information”. As per USA Today, she said that the first positive case was well before the vaccinations began to be administered at the facility.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘Lieutenant’ at War with Neighbors at $10M NYC Penthouse

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Sarah Kellen, 41, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37(Facebook)

By: Rusty Brooks

Sarah Kellen, the alleged “lieutenant” of Ghislaine Maxwell, and her husband Brian Vickers, 37, are the subject of ire among neighbors at the SoHo condo building on Greene Street, where Vickers leads the condo board, the New York Post reported on Saturday.

Kellen is accused of helping Ghislaine Maxwell recruit ‘sex slaves’ for Jeffrey Epstein is now in a spat with neighbors at the ritzy Manhattan condo where she lives with her NASCAR-driver husband.

Kellen reportedly cut ties with Epstein after his first arrest in Florida in 2008 and gained immunity through the deal he struck with prosecutors. In 2013 she married her longtime boyfriend Vickers, who is a NASCAR driver, Daily Mail reported.

Neighbors told the Post they are fed up with the couple’s constant noisy renovations in their $10 million penthouse, as well as massive fee assessments imposed by Vickers and the other board members.

Neighbors at the 14-unit Mercer Greene condo building, where Lindsay Lohan once live, tell the Post that they are fed up with the construction racket from Kellen and Vickers’ penthouse.

‘It’s the other homeowners that have to put up with it,’ one condo owner complained, noting that the couple are rarely in town.

One condo owner told the Post that they have been charged $100,000 in assessments in the last five years. It is noteworthy the building has been plagued with construction and repairs before Vickers was elected to head the co-op board.

Sarah Kellen is rarely mentioned in connection to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, but she and Vickers reappeared in New York after Maxwell was arrested in July. There has been speculation she might testify against Maxwell.

Epstein’s controversial 2008 federal non-prosecution agreement extended immunity to four ‘potential co-conspirators’ including Sarah Kellen and fellow executive assistants Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff and Nadia Marcinkova, Daily Mail pointed out.

Daily Mail reported: Kellen could not face federal charges, despite multiple girls describing how she would book them for massages and greet them they as arrived at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion before escorting them upstairs and laying out massage oils.

Kellen has spoken out to vehemently deny the allegations that she aided in Epstein’s devious sex schemes.

‘I’ve been made out to be such a monster — but it’s not true. I’m a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. I was raped and abused weekly,’ she told the Sun last month.

NYC Attorney Claims Ex Went Crazy, Spied on Him & Killed His Cat

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Brad A. Kauffman (left) has accused his ex-girlfriend Leisa Aras of killing his cat. (Facebook)

By: Don Driggers

A New York City attorney claims his ex-girlfriend went crazy, started spying on him and killed his precious cat.

The NY Post reported, Brad A. Kauffman claims his obsessed ex-lover spent weeks spying on him, hacking his devices, and in a final twisted act, killed his pet, Miyagi, on New Year’s Day 2020.

Kauffman, 50, alleges in Manhattan Supreme Court papers that his former girlfriend, real estate agent Leisa Aras, 46 began monitoring his text messages with a spy app, stalked his social media, posed as imaginary woman to set up dates with Kaufman, and finally slaughtered the lawyer’s cat.

The NY Post reported: “I killed your cat and you better watch out,” Aras allegedly told Kauffman, according to a harassment complaint the lawyer filed against her with the NYPD last year

Aras, a mother of 2 flatly denies the cat killing.

“I certainly didn’t poison his cat. I loved that cat, I picked that cat out with him,” the single mom of two told The Post.

“Everything he’s saying is untrue,” she said. “No, I didn’t use any spyware. I’m not that sophisticated.

“I had seven people at my house at that time, visiting, and he texted me saying Miyagi just passed away,” she claimed. “I went over there and wrapped her up in a T-shirt and put her in a crate so he could take her to the vet — not exactly something that someone who was malicious would do.”

The couple apparently dated since 2015 according to social media and broke up in 2019.

The NY Post reported: Kauffman even represented Aras in a 2016 lawsuit she filed against Con Edison and the city after the motorbike she was riding hit a pothole on West End Avenue, injuring her foot.

Kaufman is an experienced attorney practicing in NYC, specializing in personal injury cases such as car, truck, bus, train, motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle accidents; sidewalk trip and falls, slip and falls; dog bites; also, cases of Medical Malpractice such as surgeon error; failure to properly/timely diagnose, misdiagnosis of a medical condition; non-diagnosis of a medical condition; nursing home negligence; hospital and doctor errors; wrongful death.

While this couple did not break up over the cat, the animal allegedly was the victim. Often jealous or scorned lovers will go after someone’s pet. This seems too be most common for cats, as cat owners often develop remarkably close relationships to their pets and killing a creature the object of one’s desire loves, is a sick, satisfying form of vengeance.

Covid Stubbornly Refuses to Release its Grip on NYC; Livelihoods Ruined

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Positive cases of the coronavirus continue to rise, claiming more lives daily. Livelihoods are also still at stake. Photo Credit: AP

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to stubbornly refuse to release its grip on New York City.

Positive cases of the coronavirus continue to rise, claiming more lives daily. Livelihoods are also still at stake. Tourism and visitors across New York are only about half what they were when the pandemic began close to 11-months ago. Unemployment in the Bronx, the poorest of the five boroughs, is now close to 16 percent. Businesses are ailing, with about a third of NYC’s 230,000 neighborhood businesses reporting that they might not be able to hold out till the vaccination becomes widely available.

As reported by Crain’s NY, despite the vaccine’s rollout, last week, the city reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases, even exceeding April highs. Although the Covid-19 immunization is now being offered to an expanded populace, the actual distribution continues to be slow. “It is really going to be tough still in the coming months,” said Tim Tompkins, former head of the Times Square Alliance.

The outlook for NYC’s economic recovery is becoming more difficult, with New Yorkers fleeing the scene. Those who lost their jobs, and who have trouble affording the Big Apple’s high cost of living are leaving. The upper class, who are now working remotely are also leaving for greener and warmer pastures. Businesses too are relocating, and taking their tax revenue with them. This month, Virtu Financial Inc. joined the list of finance firms which announced plans to move workers to Florida. New York City is feeling it in record-high vacancy rates in commercial and residential real estate. The exodus is leaving City Hall in a financial deficit, desperate for federal aid, as its revenue from property taxes and income taxes wanes.

In December, the New York State Comptroller’s office cautioned that 15 percent of landlords worry they may not be able to pay their property taxes due in January. More than 50 percent of low-income New Yorkers said they are already behind in their rent or mortgage payments, or will fall behind in a few months. A recent survey revealed that apartment tenants owed a total of $1 billion in unpaid rent. The state has extended the moratorium on evictions yet again, leading some tenants to owe as much as 11-months of back rent.

Hope for recovery lies in the vaccination, which can potentially allow businesses and employees to return to their offices by the spring or summer. It could also help open the door for tourism. There is also confidence that the incoming Biden administration will provide additional federal rescue funds.