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N. Korea threatens to build more nukes, cites US hostility

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(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal as he disclosed a list of high-tech weapons systems under development, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy, state media reported Saturday.

Kim’s comments during a key meeting of the ruling party this week were seen as applying pressure on the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has called Kim a “thug” and has criticized his summits with President Donald Trump.

The Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying the “key to establishing new relations between (North Korea) and the United States is whether the United States withdraws its hostile policy.”

Kim said he won’t use his nuclear weapons first unless threatened. He also suggested he is open to dialogue if Washington is too, but stressed North Korea must further strengthen its military and nuclear capability to cope with intensifying U.S. hostility.

He again called the U.S. his country’s “main enemy.”

“Whoever takes office in the U.S., its basic nature and hostile policy will never change,” he said.

Biden, who will take office on Jan. 20, is unlikely to hold direct meetings with Kim unless the North Korean leader takes significant denuclearization steps.

Cheong Seong-Chang, a fellow at the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, said Kim’s speech showed he has no interests in denuclearization talks with Biden if he insists that working-level negotiations must sort out contentious issues first.

Kim didn’t cite any specific provocative U.S. actions. North Korea has previously called regular U.S. military drills with South Korea an invasion rehearsal, though the allies have repeatedly denied that.

The North Korean leader listed sophisticated weapons systems that he said were under development. They include a multi-warhead missile, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, solid-fueled long-range missiles and spy satellites. He said North Korea must also advance the precision attack capability on targets in the 15,000 kilometer (9,320 mile)-striking range, an apparent reference to the U.S. mainland, and develop technology to manufacture smaller nuclear warheads to be mounted on long-range missiles more easily.

“The reality is that we can achieve peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula when we constantly build up our national defense and suppress U.S. military threats,” Kim said.

It’s unclear if North Korea is capable of developing such systems. It’s one of the world’s most cloistered countries, and estimates on the exact status of its nuclear and missile programs vary widely. In 2018, the South Korean government said North Korea was estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons.

“What they want to tell the U.S. is we’re developing the new strategic weapons that you can see as the most intimidating. Do you want to come to the negotiating table?” Choi Kang, vice president of Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said.

KCNA said Kim’s comments were made during the ruling Workers’ Party congress, the first in five years, from Tuesday to Thursday. He spoke for nine hours, the agency said.

The congress, the party’s top decision-making body, is being held as Kim faces what appears to be the toughest moment of his nine-year rule due to blows to his already-fragile economy — pandemic-related border closings that have sharply reduced the North’s external trade, a spate of natural disasters last summer and U.S.-led sanctions.

During his opening-day speech, Kim called the difficulties the “worst-ever” and admitted his previous economic plans had failed. In his other comments reported Saturday, he called for building a stronger self-supporting economy and reducing reliance on imports under a new five-year development plan.

Since taking power in late 2011, Kim, who turned 37 on Friday, has pushed the so-called “byungjin” policy of simultaneously seeking economic growth and the expansion of his nuclear deterrent. After claiming to have achieved the ability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons, Kim launched high-stakes summits Trump in 2018, but their diplomacy later fell apart due to wrangling over the sanctions the following year.

During this week’s speeches, Kim said North Korea will further boost ties with China, its biggest ally and economic lifeline but slammed South Korea for continuing the drills with the U.S. and introducing modern weapons.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry responded that it hopes for the early resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks, saying the inauguration of a new president in Washington can serve as a good chance to improve their ties.

“Kim’s speech foreshows the North Korean-U.S. relations won’t be smooth in the next four years with Biden in office,” said Nam Sung-wook, an expert on North Korea at Korea University in South Korea. “We won’t likely see big events and spectacles (like the Kim-Trump summits) for the time being.”

DOJ To Investigate Capitol Shooting Death of Air Force Vet Ashli Babbitt

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By: Sandy Fitzgerald & Marisa Herman

 

The Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the death of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, who was shot in the chest by a Capitol Police officer during Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol while trying to climb through a window and enter the House chambers.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin told CBS News that his office has opened a formal investigation into whether excessive force came into play in relation to Babbitt’s death, senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge reported through Twitter.

The office’s civil rights division will be the lead prosecutors for the case, which is also under investigation by the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, Herridge also reported.

Sherwin’s office has also opened a homicide investigation into the death of Capitol Hill Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died of injuries Thursday night from the injuries he sustained while responding to the riots and engaging physically with attackers during the melee, reports CNN, quoting a statement from the Capitol Police.

Sicknick joined the department in July 2008 and had most recently served in the department’s First Responders Unit.

Babbitt, a California native, had served for 14 years in the Air Force. According to a friend and fellow veteran, she was an avid supporter of President Donald Trump and flew across the country to be at the president’s massive rally on Wednesday, reports The New York Post. Babbitt also live-streamed a part of the march from the rally to the Capitol.

In addition to Babbitt and Sicknick, another woman, Roseanne Boyland, died after she was trampled and two others died from medical emergencies.

Newsmax also reported that Benjamin Phillips, a 50-year-old from Pennsylvania  and Kevin Greeson, a 55-year-old from Alabama, died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the Wednesday siege of the Capitol.

Their names were released during a Thursday press conference.

Steven A. Sund, the chief of United States Capitol Police, who has since resigned from his post has said that more than 50 officers were hurt, and some have been hospitalized with “serious injuries.”

Police said at least 70 people were arrested for rioting or violating curfews put in place amid the unrest.

Rioters “actively attacked” Capitol police and other law enforcement officers Wednesday with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and ”took up other weapons against our officers,” Sund said in a statement on Thursday.

“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.  Maintaining public safety in an open environment — specifically for First Amendment activities — has long been a challenge,” Sund said in an emailed statement to Fox News. “The USCP had a robust plan established to address anticipated First Amendment activities.  But make no mistake — these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior.”  (Newsmax.com)

 

NYC Health Department’s Covid-19 Vaccine Hubs Open on Sunday

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

 

Three new COVID-19 Vaccine Hubs located in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn will open Sunday, the Health Department announced on Saturday.  Twelve additional Hubs will open next week across the five boroughs, adding to the over 125 sites that are currently up and running for eligible New Yorkers citywide.

 

“In order to get the vaccination traffic we want, we will need to build on-ramps,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave. A. Chokshi. “Facilities like these will be a route to immunity for thousands of New Yorkers. We need more New Yorkers to be eligible for the vaccine in order to quicken the pace of vaccination for the entire city.”

 

These three Hubs will start with the capacity to vaccinate a total of 5,000-7,000 people per day and will be open seven days per week from 9:00am-7:00pm. Currently eligible New Yorkers are required to make an appointment online.

 

Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Hub Locations:

  • South Bronx Educational Campus (701 St. Ann’s Avenue)
  • Bushwick Educational Campus (400 Irving Avenue)
  • Hillcrest High School (160-05 Highland Avenue, Jamaica)

 

The list of New Yorkers who are currently eligible for vaccine includes high-risk healthcare workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities and other front-line staff in patient-facing roles. Starting next week, New Yorkers in 1b, which includes first responders and those 75 years and older, will be eligible to make appointments.

 

The Hubs are staffed by Health Department staff and trained volunteers through the Medical Reserve Corps.

 

New Yorkers can visit the Health Department’s Vaccine Locations page to find more locations currently administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Before an appointment, New Yorkers will need to complete the NYS COVID-19 Vaccine Form (PDF) in order to get vaccinated. NYS requires the provider administering the vaccine to check completion of the form. Additionally, eligible New Yorkers will need to bring proof of employment, such as an employee ID card, a letter from an employer or affiliated organization, or a recent pay stub.

 

“COVID-19 continues to ravage our communities, especially in the Bronx, where we were hardest hit during the height of the pandemic, and continually as our positivity rates grow to be of the highest of other boroughs in NYC,” said State Senator Luis Sepúlveda. “The new vaccine hubs will serve a crucial role in protecting our neighbors from this deadly virus and in our fight against the pandemic. I am thrilled to see a vaccine hub open in my district at the South Bronx Educational Campus, and I thank the Mayor and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for their important collaboration on expediting COVID-19 vaccines for the South Bronx.”

 

“If our country will ever return to a sense of normalcy, it starts with ensuring as many Americans are getting vaccinated,” said Council Member Rafael Salamanca. “Most importantly, in communities like mine that have disproportionately felt the impacts of COVID, the decision to place one of the first vaccination hubs in the South Bronx will literally save the lives of countless frontline workers, and the most vulnerable Bronxites. I thank the administration, the Medical Reserve Corps, staff and volunteers for their herculean efforts to protect New Yorkers during this second surge of COVID cases.”

 

 

Google Blacklists Parler App from Play Store

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Alana Mastrangelo

Google has removed social media platform Parler from its Play Store for Android devices, stating the app will remain suspended until it implements “robust” moderation policies that crackdown on free speech.

In a statement on Friday, Google claimed that “in light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat,” Parler is suspended from its Play Store until it implements moderation policies.

Read the full statement below:

In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the US. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.

Google’s suspension of Parler arrives the same day that Apple threatened to ban Parler from its app store unless it cracks down on constitutionally protected speech that Apple doesn’t approve of — a move that would effectively exclude the app from all Apple smartphones.

Both Google and Apple made these similar moves in the wake of President Donald Trump getting permanently banned from Twitter

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” said Twitter in a statement.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram. Breitbart news

Twitter Purge: Conservative Social Media Personalities Report Losing Thousands of Followers

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screen shot Andalusian media

LUCAS NOLAN

Since Twitter banned President Donald Trump this week, prominent conservative voices on the platform users are reporting that they’ve lost tens of thousands of followers.

Breitbart News recently reported that Twitter banned President Trump permanently, saying in a statement: “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

Now, multiple prominent conservatives on Twitter are claiming that they’ve lost a large number of followers since President Trump’s ban. A few examples can be seen below

In response, a number of users announced that they would be leaving Twitter with many moving to the popular app Parler.

Twitter told the New York Post: “As part of our work to protect the integrity of the conversation on Twitter, we regularly challenge accounts to confirm account details such as email and phone number. Until the accounts confirm additional account information, they are in a locked state and do not count towards follower counts.”

Biden names Orthodox woman to senior National Security Council position

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(JNS) U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to appoint Anne Neuberger, an Orthodox Jewish woman, to serve in a newly created cybersecurity position on the U.S. National Security Council.

The expected pick was first reported by Politico on Wednesday. The Biden transition team and the National Security Agency declined to comment to the outlet about Neuberger’s expected appointment.

Neuberger has lead the NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate since 2019, being one of the highest-ranking women at the NSA since Ann Caracristi, who served as deputy director of the agency during the early 1980s.

She has worked at the NSA for more than a decade and helped found the U.S. Cyber Command, where she was chief risk officer and headed the agency’s security initiative during the 2018 midterm elections.

Neuberger, who lives in Baltimore, is from the heavily Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park, N.Y., where she went to Bais Yaakov Jewish day school for girls.

Neuberger graduated from Touro College in New York and Columbia University business school. She was also in the White House Fellows program.

Cuomo’s Botched Vaccine Rollout: Some Thrown Out

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AP

By Solange Reyner(NEWSMAX)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expanding the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility requirements to include 3 million more people after pushback from Mayor Bill de Blasio and other local officials and reports of doses tossed out, reports The New York Times.

The group will include people over the age of 75, firefighters, police officers, teachers, bus drivers, train operators and other frontline MTA staff.

“On Monday, you can start to schedule appointments. Pharmacies will start coming online, some on Monday, more on Wednesday,” Cuomo said Friday during a press conference on the rollout.

The city has only vaccinated 13 percent of the 917,000 healthcare workers currently eligible to receive the vaccination.

The Times also reported that a New York clinic had to throw out doses after some healthcare workers did not show to receive their vaccine and others decided against getting it.

“The hospitals were slow. They’re ramping up too slowly,” said Cuomo. “So we’re going to accelerate the distribution and what we’re going to do is add new distribution networks to supplement the hospitals.”

The state will launch a website where New York City residents will be able to make reservations.

De Blasio on Thursday demanded that Cuomo expand the number of people who can be vaccinated.

“We were ready to go and do a huge vaccination effort at the Department of Correction and the NYPD, but we were told by the state that they would not allow that,” de Blasio said Thursday. “They are allowing a smaller percentage, several thousand, NYPD medical corps members, and we’re going ahead with those vaccinations, but we really think the rules couldn’t be clearer.”

Federal Murder Probe Opens Into Death of Capitol Police Officer

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(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

By Jeffrey Rodack(NEWSMAX)

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington D.C. has launched a federal murder investigation into the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained during the mob siege of the Capitol.

ABC News attributed the information to three law enforcement sources.

And a statement posted on the Capitol Police website said: “Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters.

“He returned to his division office and collapsed. The death of Officer Sicknick will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP (U.S. Capitol Police), and our federal partners.”

Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen added in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and fellow officers of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who succumbed last night to the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol, against the violent mob who stormed it on January 6th. The FBI and Metropolitan Police Department will jointly investigate the case and the Department of Justice will spare no resources in investigating and holding accountable those responsible.”

Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in July 2008 and was serving in the First Responder’s Unit.

US COVID-19 Deaths Hit New Record for 2nd Day in a Row

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By Surya Gowda  (NEWSMAX)

The U.S. reported 4,207 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, according to the worldometers.info tracking website, setting a new record and making it the second day in a row that deaths exceeded 4,000.

Confirmed cases in the U.S. Thursday jumped to 279,154, also a record high.

The country first passed a one-day death toll of 4,000 on Wednesday, when 4,100 deaths were recorded. Globally, 88,652,226 coronavirus cases and 1,909,621 deaths have been recorded over the course of the pandemic, per worldometers data.

Certain states, such as California, have been hit particularly hard in the recent virus surge. The state reported 488 deaths on Thursday alone, and hospitals are being put under strain.

“Folks are gasping for breath. Folks look like they’re drowning when they are in bed right in front of us,” Dr. Jeffrey Chien, an emergency room physician at Santa Clara Valley Regional Medical Center, told The Guardian. “I’m begging everyone to help us out because we aren’t the front line. We’re the last line.”

The vaccination effort in the U.S. is also ramping up, with at least 5.9 million Americans having received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 600,000 people got their first shot on Thursday.

Eerie Video Circulates Online Showing Trump, Family, Staff In Cheerful Mood Hours Before Riot

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Jared Evan

Many social media users have shared a video from the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., along with the allegation that it shows members of the Trump family and administration watching the riot at the Capitol and enjoying it. Also, seen in the video is Trump, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Trump adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle. Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle are dating.

Giofolye is seen cheerfully dancing in the video to 1980’s disco hit “Gloria” by Laura Branigan. This in itself makes the video almost bizarre, dancing to a forgotten disco song as they allegedly watch the riot.

While the anti-Trump forces were quick to frame the video as Trump and company celebrating the riots which left 5 people dead, the video actually took place hours before and appears to be taken right before Trump made his voter fraud speech.

Though Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle both encouraged the president’s supporters to “fight” in the video, this was said before the march on the Capitol and was most likely referring to the fight against voter fraud in the 2020 election accusations.

If you look at the video, the president is seen looking at computer monitors showing the crowd filing into the stage area where Trump spoke.

The video is quite eerie, with the disco backed soundtrack, we see some of Trump’s closest allies, in a jovial mood, around 2 hours before an event which resulted in the deaths of 5 people and a riot that shook America and the world.

The last happy moments of the Trump regime from behind the scenes  forever captured.

Hours later the riots which took place almost immediately after the speech would place a dark cloud over the Trump administration and the MAGA movement forever.

Later in the evening, the votes would be certified for Biden.  Several Republicans who vowed to stand against the alleged voter fraud changed their minds because of the carnage, and the electoral votes were swiftly certified and the Trump era came to an end.

Trump will spend the last days basically isolated as Democrats and several Republicans are calling to remove the president in his last days.

Kimberly Guilfoyle’s joyful dance to “Gloria” on this video will forever be documented as an eerie and symbolic end to Trump’s administration.

The many accomplishments of the Trump era will be buried by historians and the media. The historic unemployment, relative world peace, effective efforts to fight COVID, the giant steps Trump made in attracting minority voters into the Republican fold, Jews making peace with Arabs, brave efforts to make peace with North Korea and countless other accomplishments will be forever overshadowed by the carnage of January 6th.

Boston Marathon Bomber Sues for $250K over Ball Cap, Showers in Prison

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AMY FURR
The Boston Marathon bomber is suing the federal government for $250,000 over what he claims is unlawful and discriminatory treatment at the prison where he is serving his life sentence.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lives at Colorado’s Supermax in Fremont County, according to an Associated Press (AP) article published Friday.
In the handwritten suit, Tsarnaev claimed the treatment is contributing to his “mental and physical decline.”
The lawsuit was assigned to a federal judge but the judge said Tuesday the filing was “deficient” because it did not have a “certified copy of prisoner’s trust fund statement” or the $402 fee, the Boston Herald reported:
Tsarnaev alleges his baseball cap and bandana were confiscated by prison guards “because, by wearing it, I was ‘disrespecting’ the FBI and the victims” of the April 15, 2013, Boston Marathon bombing. “There is no proof and no evidence to support (the) false accusation,” Tsarnaev alleges in his eight-page lawsuit posted on the federal court system.
In October, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the United States Supreme Court to hear Tsarnaev’s case when a panel of circuit court judges overturned his death sentence, according to Breitbart News:
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who first arrived in the U.S. with his family on tourist visas, was previously convicted and sentenced to death for carrying out an Islamist terrorist attack with his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, on April 15, 2013, at the annual Boston Marathon.
Tamerlan died during the manhunt for his arrest.
In the attack, the Tsarnaev brothers killed eight-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, 23-year-old Lingzi Lu, and left more than 280 people injured. Later in the evening, the Tsarnaev brothers killed 27-year-old MIT Officer Sean Collier.
This week, former Florence prison warden Bob Hood told the Herald that lawsuits such as Tsarnaev’s are common among inmates, adding, “I get it. He wants more than three showers a week.”
“But he’s a twentysomething living in a 7-foot box where life is worse than if he did get the death penalty,” he concluded.

Breitbart

Suspicious Videos Emerge From D.C Riot, Protestors Allowed in Capitol by Cops, ANTIFA Involvement

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.(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Jared Evan

As the nation continues to react to the shocking riot which occurred at the now-infamous January 6th MAGA event, the responses are running the gamut of emotions. Liberals have declared this the darkest day in America’s history and lay all of the blame at Trump’s feet,  many elected officials are using this tragedy as an excuse to finally remove Trump from office permanently destroying Trump’s possible future political aspirations; while the most devout Trump supporters have immediately absolved themselves of the horrible scene which took 5 people’s lives, placing all of the blame on ANTIFA infiltrators, and barely acknowledging that what should have been a spirited peaceful event, turned into a blood bath. The most strident far-right activists have actually celebrated the riot as part of a “great awakening”.

Is there a grain of truth to the immediate, almost knee jerk response from the MAGA minions who pointed the finger at ANTIFA? Evidently, based on several videos leaking out on social media, there were ANTIFA or some kind of unaffiliated agent provocateurs egging on the chaos. Even more shocking, it appears DC Police actually let protestors into the capitol and even directed traffic.

In this video provided by banned.video- as windows are being broken thousands of Trump supporters are screaming “f**k ANTIFA” indicating that the vandals, who are setting up the chaos to follow were not Trump supporters but members of the radical left-wing militant group.

In this video, allegedly taken during the march, several black-clad ANTIFA members waving the Pan African flag were caught on camera

This circulating video is an alleged confession of a protestor who claims he was paid to be part of the event, he refuses to name the organization who paid him, and called it an “organized effort”. Is this proof that clandestine leftists organized an infiltration?

In this video, 2 mysterious men dressed in all black appear to be the first ones physically attacking the capitol as they smash thru the doors with flag poles. The crowd is screaming  F**K ANTIFA and booing their actions. While it is not known if the men were actually in ANTIFA these videos do make a case that the initial violence was set up by a select group of agitators or possibly professional paid provocateurs and many Trump supporters were against the actions.

The most shocking videos which have emerged following the madness seem to reveal that some police officers were possibly part of the invasion of the capitol itself or simply gave up trying to police the event.

In this first video, police officers literally, remove barriers allowing protestors to flood the capitol’s surroundings.

In this unbelievable video, which should immediately be investigated, we see thousands of people flood right into the capitol, as police officers stand aside and watch the activity. An officer is caught on camera saying ‘ I disagree with this, but I respect it’. The door is open, no action is being taken to stop the angry protestors from walking right in.

Here is another video from inside the capitol, as cops stand aside and do nothing to stop masses of protestors from entering the capitol. The door is wide open, no action is taken, an alleged journalist identifies herself as press, the officer responds ” nobody can come in here, as thousands of MAGA hat flag-waving protestors are invading.

In this final video, an officer is seen literally directing traffic inside the capitol, it appears he is directing the protestors and giving directions !!

We can be sure, investigations are underway, but the question remains: will the media keep the public informed as to what actually happened?

Miami Doctor Dies After Receiving First Dose Of Pfizer COVID Vaccine

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(TJV NEWS) As the US sees 4K confirmed COVID-19 deaths in a single day, the CDC is reporting another shocking potential reaction to the new mRNA-vector COVID-19 vaccines: A doctor in Miami has died two weeks after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, Zero Hedge reported.

Heidi Neckelmann, the widow of Dr. Gregory Michael, said her husband was vaccinated on Dec. 18, and died 16 days later. He was 56 years old, according to Sputnik. Patients typically receive a second dose of the vaccine 3 weeks after the first. Neckelmann also shared the news in a Facebook post.

Neckelmann wrote on Facebook

The love of my life, my husband Gregory Michael MD
an Obstetrician that had his office in Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach Died the day before yesterday due to a strong reaction to the COVID vaccine.
He was a very healthy 56 year old, loved by everyone in the community delivered hundreds of healthy babies and worked tireless through the pandemic.
He was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at MSMC on December 18, 3 days later he saw a strong set of petechiae on his feet and hands which made him seek attention at the emergency room at MSMC. The CBC that was done at his arrival showed his platelet count to be 0 (A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood.) he was admitted in the ICU with a diagnosis of acute ITP caused by a reaction to the COVID vaccine. A team of expert doctors tried for 2 weeks to raise his platelet count to no avail. Experts from all over the country were involved in his care. No matter what they did, the platelets count refused to go up. He was conscious and energetic through the whole process but 2 days before a last resort surgery, he got a hemorrhagic stroke caused by the lack of platelets that took his life in a matter of minutes.
He was a pro vaccine advocate that is why he got it himself.
I believe that people should be aware that side effects can happened, that it is not good for everyone and in this case destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family, and has affected so many people in the community
Do not let his death be in vain please save more lives by making this information news.
Three days after vaccination, small spots began to appear on Gregory Michael’s feet and hands. In response, he went to the emergency room at Mount Sinai. As his blood count was not in the normal ranges, he was admitted to the intensive care unit, according to Heidi Neckelmann. Unfortunately, shortly after, he suffered a stroke and died

Deadly siege focuses attention on Capitol Police after Capitol Police Officer, Brian Sicknick Becomes 5th Victim of DC Riots

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This undated image provided by the United States Capitol Police shows U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, of injuries sustained during the riot at the Capitol. A native of South River, N.J., Sicknick served in the New Jersey Air National Guard and went on to a law enforcement career, which his family said was his lifelong dream. He joined the Capitol Police in 2008. (United States Capitol Police via AP)

(AP) — The police were badly outnumbered.

Only a few dozen guarded the West front of the U.S. Capitol when they were rushed by thousands of pro-Trump demonstrators bent on breaking into the building.

Armed with metal pipes, pepper spray and other weapons, the mob pushed past the thin police line, and one protester hurled a fire extinguisher at a officer, according to video widely circulated on YouTube.

“They’re getting into the Capitol tonight! They’re getting in,” the man filming shouts in delight.

They breached the line moments later, and rioters soon broke into the building, taking over the House and Senate chambers and running wild in Statuary Hall and other hallowed symbols of democracy. The mob ransacked the place, smashing windows and waving Trump, American and Confederate flags. The lawmakers who were voting to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory were forced into hiding for hours.

Throughout the melee, police officers were injured, mocked, ridiculed and threatened. One Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered during the riot. The melee was instigated by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump who have professed their love of law enforcement and derided the mass police reform protests that shook the nation last year following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“We backed you guys in the summer,” one protester screamed at three officers backed against a door by dozens of men screaming for them to get out of their way. “When the whole country hated you, we had your back!”

The rampage shocked the world and left the country on edge, forcing the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach. Lawmakers have demanded a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a “terrorist attack.”

Sicknick was the fifth person to die because of the Capitol protest violence.

One protester, a woman from California, was shot to death by Capitol Police, and three other people died after “medical emergencies” related to the breach, including at least who died of an apparent heart attack.

Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said, although it was not clear if he was the officer shown in the video. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Another disturbing video shows a bloodied police officer screaming for help as he’s crushed by protesters inside the Capitol building. The young officer is pinned between a riot shield and metal door. Bleeding from the mouth, he cries out in pain and screams, “Help!”

Other images show police completely overwhelmed by protesters who shoved, kicked and punched their way into the building. In one stunning video, a lone police officer tries to hold off a mob of demonstrators from cracking into the lobby. He fails.

Protesters attacked police with pipes, sprayed irritants and even planted live bombs found in the area.

Sicknick’s family said Friday that he had wanted to be a police officer his entire life. He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before joining the Capitol Police in 2008. Many details regarding the incident remain unknown, and Sicknick’s family urged the public and news media not to make his death a political issue.

Still, the riot — and Sicknick’s death — focused renewed attention on Capitol Police, a force of more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees that protects the Capitol, lawmakers, staff and visitors. The agency has an annual budget of about $515 million.

Three days before the riot, the Pentagon offered National Guard manpower. And as the mob descended on the building Wednesday, Justice Department leaders reached out to offer up FBI agents. Capitol Police turned them down both times, according to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter.

Despite plenty of warnings of a possible insurrection and ample resources and time to prepare, police planned only for a free speech demonstration.

Like many other agencies, the Capitol Police have been hit hard by COVID-19, with frequent schedule changes for officers and many forced to work overtime to fill out rosters. The pandemic has put the police under strain going into the new session of Congress and the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who resigned Thursday under pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders, defended his department’s response, saying officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions.” Two other top security officials, Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger and House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, also resigned.

By Friday, prosecutors had filed 14 cases in federal district court and 40 others in the District of Columbia Superior Court for a variety of offenses ranging from assaulting police officers to entering restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol, stealing federal property and threatening lawmakers. Prosecutors said additional cases remained under seal, dozens of other people were being sought by federal agents and the U.S. attorney in Washington vowed that “all options were on the table” for charges, including possibly sedition.

Among those charged was Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was shown in a widely seen photo sitting in Pelosi’s office with his boots on the desk. He also wrote a disparaging note to Pelosi. Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen called the photo of Barnett a “shocking image” and “repulsive.′

“Those who are proven to have committed criminal acts during the storming of the Capitol will face justice,″ Rosen said.

Also charged was a West Virginia state lawmaker who posted videos online showing himself pushing his way inside the Capitol, fist bumping with a police officer and then milling around the Rotunda as he shouted “Our house!” The lawmaker, Derrick Evans, was arrested by the FBI at his home on Friday and charged with entering restricted federal property.

Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the Capitol Police Officers’ Union, said he was “incredibly proud of the individual officers whose actions protected the lives of hundreds of members of Congress and their staff.”

Once the breach of the Capitol building was inevitable, officers prioritized lives over property, leading people to safety, he said. “Not one member of Congress or their staff was injured. Our officers did their jobs. Our leadership did not. Our law enforcement partners that assisted us were remarkable.”

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who leads a subcommittee that oversees the Capitol Police budget, said Friday that rank-and-file officers “were put in a incredibly dangerous situation. And that’s really where my frustration comes in.″

Sund and other leaders are charged with protecting lawmakers, “but also making sure that the rank-and-file members are put in situations where they’re as safe as possible and they have the support that they need. And that clearly isn’t the case,” Ryan said.

Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff in Sicknick’s honor.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Nomaan Merchant in Houston and Derek Karikari in New York contributed to this report

Twitter Permanently Bans President Donald Trump

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Allum Bokhari

Twitter has permanently banned the account of the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” said Twitter in a statement.

The company also banned the @TeamTrump campaign account.

Twitter previously removed a video from the president that called on his supporters to peacefully disperse and respect law an order, which the president posted less than an hour after reports that D.C.’s Capitol Hill was in the process of being stormed.

The president reiterated his condemnation of violence the next day.

This comes after Facebook and Instagram along with other big tech platforms indefinitely suspended the president’s access, cutting off a key line of communication between the president and the citizens of this country.

For more than four years, Breitbart News has reported on the rapidly increasing, undemocratic power of Silicon Valley companies, and their growing determination to interfere in the political affairs of the United States and other countries.

Politicians and commentators from across the political spectrum, including former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, liberal journalist Glenn Greenwald, and countless conservative lawmakers have warned that this is a threat to freedom of speech and democracy.

Despite having control of the Senate, Congress, and White House from 2016 to 2018, Republicans did not pass any legislation to curtail tech companies’ ability to censor American citizens, elected representatives, government officials, or interfere in the politics of the United States.

Big tech’s legal immunities were even strengthened in the USMCA trade bill, despite a bipartisan effort to block them.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai recently declined to move forward on a proposed rulemaking change to Section 230, the law that allows tech companies to censor with impunity.

Trump is the first head of state to be permanently banned by a major social media platform.

Republican senators have yet to speak out in opposition to Silicon Valley’s silencing of the president in recent days.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News.

Trump to skip Biden swearing-in — Biden’s fine with that

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ap

(AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he will skip President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, refusing to fulfill the outgoing president’s traditional role in the peaceful transition of power and undercutting his own message just one day earlier on the need for “national healing and unity.”

Trump, who has not appeared in public since a violent mob of his supporters besieged the Capitol on Wednesday and tried to halt the transfer of power, will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson not to attend his successor’s inauguration.

Biden said he was just fine with that, calling it “one of the few things we have ever agreed on.”

“It’s a good thing him not showing up,” he added, calling the president an ”embarrassment” to the nation and unworthy of the office.

Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together on Inauguration Day for the ceremony, a visible manifestation of the smooth change of leadership.

Biden will become president at noon on Jan. 20 regardless of Trump’s plans. But Trump’s absence represents one final act of defiance of the norms and traditions of Washington that he has flouted for four years.

Historian Douglas Brinkley said that while attending the inauguration “would be a wonderful olive branch to the country,” he wasn’t surprised by the decision.

“Donald Trump doesn’t want to be in Washington as the second-fiddle loser standing on stage with Joe Biden,” he said.

While Trump stays away, former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be there to stand witness to the rite of democracy. The only other living president, 96-year-old Jimmy Carter, who has spent the pandemic largely at home in Georgia, will not attend but has extended “best wishes” to Biden.

Trump’s tweet that he would boycott the inauguration came as he holed up in the White House with a dwindling coterie of aides and as momentum grew on Capitol Hill to subject him to impeachment for a second time.

 

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump said in a tweet.

It may have been his last. The company announced Friday evening that it had permanently suspended Trump from its platform, citing the “risk of further incitement of violence.” The sitting president said the company was trying to “silence” him and replied in an official statement that he was “negotiating” with other social media platforms while looking at “the possibilities of building out our own platform.”

Trump’s decision not to attend the inauguration was not a surprise: For more than two months, he has falsely claimed he won reelection and advanced baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, even though his own administration has said the election was fairly run.

Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, urged Trump to reconsider.

“He is, of course, not constitutionally required to attend and I can imagine losing an election is very hard, but I believe he should attend,” Scott said in a statement. The senator called the rite “an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world.”

Vice President Mike Pence, who defied Trump on Wednesday when he refused to intervene in the congressional process to certify Biden’s win, was expected to attend the inauguration, according to one person close to him and one familiar with inauguration planning. But Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley said in a statement Friday that the vice president and the second lady “have yet to make a decision regarding their attendance.”

Biden said Pence was “welcome to come,” and he’d be honored to have him.

“I think it’s important,” he said, that “the historical precedents and how and the circumstances” by which administrations transition “be maintained.”

Brinkley said Trump’s decision makes him look like a “sore loser.”

“It will also show that he’s an authoritarian at heart who doesn’t believe in the democratic process. If you don’t honor the idea of a peaceful transition, then you don’t honor the Constitution or the spirit of democracy itself,” he said.

On Thursday, with 12 days left in his term, Trump finally bent to reality when he released a video late in the day that condemned the violence carried out in his name at the Capitol and acknowledged his presidency would soon end.

“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video, after issuing an earlier written statement that offered the same message. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”

But by the next morning, Trump was back to his usual division. Rather than offering condolences for the police officer who died from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump commended the “great American Patriots” who had voted for him.

“They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” he tweeted.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone has repeatedly warned Trump that he could be deemed responsible for inciting Wednesday’s violence. Aides said the president’s video was intended, in part, to try to ward off potential legal trouble and to slow the mass exodus of staffers who have announced their early departures in response to the violence.

Wednesday’s violent insurgency erupted after Trump spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally where he told his supporters the election had been stolen and urged them to fight. Since then, Trump has been increasingly isolated, abandoned by all but a few of his closest enablers.

He has watched the resignations of top aides, including two Cabinet secretaries and a long list of administration officials.

In addition to those who have resigned, senior staff, including longtime aide Hope Hicks, will begin departing as part of the usual “offboarding” process marking the end of an administration, leaving Trump with only a skeleton crew of aides in his final days in office.

Those who remained on the job continued to weigh their own futures and struggled with how best to contain the impulses of a president deemed too dangerous to control his own social media accounts but who remains commander in chief of the world’s greatest military.

There were fears about what a desperate president could do in his final days, including speculation Trump could incite more violence, make rash appointments, issue ill-conceived pardons — including for himself and his family — or even trigger a destabilizing international incident.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats laid plans to impeach Trump a second time, with articles of impeachment expected to be introduced on Monday. A draft of the resolution charges Trump with abuse of power, saying he “willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.”

White House spokesperson Judd Deere responded by saying, “A politically motivated impeachment against a President with 12 days remaining in his term will only serve to further divide our great country.”

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was pursuing other measures to try to check Trump’s powers. She said she had spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing an “unhinged” Trump from initiating military actions or a nuclear strike. She and Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer have also called on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office — though the urgency of that discussion among Cabinet members and staff had diminished by Thursday.

Staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even in parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations. But no member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move.

Pence has not said publicly whether he would support invoking the 25th Amendment, but Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he did not think that was likely. “I’m just hearing he is basically not moving in that direction,” he said, citing “my Senate channels.”

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Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in New York and Alan Fram and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.