CPAC attendees boo, yell 'freedom' when asked to wear masks

Source: The Hill

Boos could be heard Friday when organizers of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando asked attendees to wear their masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Loud boos and cheers for "Freedom" were heard echoing throughout the room as American Conservative Union Executive Director Dan Schneider and CPAC director Carly Patrick asked for attendees to adhere to the coronavirus restrictions put in place by Hyatt Regency Orlando, where the event is being held this year.

"A private hotel, just like your house, gets to set its own rules," Schneider told the crowd.

"We are in a private facility and we do want to be respectful of the ordinances they have, as they're a private property. So please, everyone, when you're in the ballroom, when you're seated you should still be wearing a mask." Patrick said. "So if everyone can go ahead and work on that. I know it's not the most fun."



Read more: https://thehill.com/briefingroom-blogroll/540693-cpac-attendees-when-asked-to-wear-masks-boo-and-yell-freedom

New York GOP district leader arrested for role in Capitol riot

Source: The Hill

A New York Republican district leader from Queens has been arrested after photos and videos have surfaced showing him breaking into the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6.

Philip Grillo, a representative for Assembly District 24, was arrested on Monday after it was confirmed he was at the Capitol riot and inside the building on Jan. 6, federal prosecutors said Tuesday, according to a Gothamist report.

Grillo recorded himself in his Knights of Columbus jacket on as he walked through the Capitol halls after coming in through a broken window, court papers say.

The 46-year-old has been a vocal Trump supporter in his community and has called his district “Trump’s Hometown District,” The Daily News reported.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/news/540143-ny-republican-district-leader-arrested-for-role-in-capitol-riot

"I received chemical burns to my face that still have not healed."

Cruz blames criticism of Cancun trip on media 'Trump withdrawal'

Source: MSN/The Hill

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is blaming extensive media coverage of his trip to Cancun on a void he says the absence of former President Trump has created in the news cycle.

"I will say, to venture into practicing medicine, that I actually want to diagnose the media. The media is suffering from acute Trump withdrawal, where for four years every day, they could foam at the mouth and be obsessed with Donald Trump, and now that he has receded from their day-to-day storyline, they don't know what to do with themselves," Cruz said during an appearance on conservative radio host Dana Loesch's program Monday afternoon.

"Donald Trump broke the media, and so they don't want to do that," he added. "They just want to engage in political attacks."

...

"I think the media is suffering from Trump withdrawal, where they've attacked Trump every day for four years," Cruz told Hannity. "They don't know what to do, so they obsessed over my taking my girls to the beach."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cruz-blames-criticism-of-cancun-trip-on-media-trump-withdrawal/ar-BB1dWkKE?ocid=winp-st

Cruz defends flying to Cancun amid Texas power outages

Source: The Hill

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday confirmed he flew to Mexico with family members Wednesday evening, responding for the first time to widespread backlash in his home state that's been battered by a severe winter storm.

Cruz said in a statement shared with The Hill that he accompanied his daughters on a flight to Mexico since they had the week off with school canceled.

“Wanting to be a good dad,” Cruz said, he decided to fly “with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”

“This has been an infuriating week for Texans,” he said, adding “the greatest state in the greatest country in the world has been without power. We have food lines, gas lines, and people sleeping at the neighbors’ houses. Our homes are freezing and our lights are out.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/539432-cruz-defends-flying-to-cancun-amid-texas-power-outages

Trump supporters are planning to storm the Capitol again on 4 March, lawmaker warns

Source: Independent UK

Donald Trump’s supporters are allegedly planning a second attack on the US Capitol on 4 March, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee has said.

Adam Smith, the chairman of the committee, told defence officials on Wednesday that QAnon conspiracy theorists and Trump supporters were considering another siege on the Capitol on that day, CNN reported.

QAnon conspiracists — borrowing claims made by the extremist sovereign citizens movement — believe that Mr Trump will come back as US president on 4 March — the day inaugurations took place before 1933.

According to theories circulating online, the United States has not been a country since the gold standard was unpegged in 1933 under Franklin D Roosevelt, while no president has been legitimate since the 16th amendment was passed in 1871 under Ulysses S. Grant.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-4-march-qanon-capitol-b1804041.html?utm_content=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1613660281

Google will pay News Corp for the right to showcase its news articles

Source: CNBC

Google struck a deal with the Murdoch family owned media conglomerate News Corp. as proposed legislation in Australia threatens to jeopardize the tech platform’s future operations in the country.

Under the three-year deal announced Wednesday, News Corp. brands in the U.S., U.K. and Australia like The Wall Street Journal and New York Post will be featured in the Google News Showcase. The companies will enter into an ad revenue-sharing agreement, develop a subscription platform and YouTube will invest in video journalism as part of the deal, according to a press release.

News Corp.’s stock popped on the news before settling later.

Google and News Corp. are unlikely bedfellows as the media giant has been a longtime critic of Google’s. News Corp. has pushed for regulators around the world to break up the company and scolded it for allegedly ripping off publishers.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/google-and-news-corp-strike-deal-as-australia-pushes-platforms-to-pay-for-news.html

Woman charged in Capitol riot says she was Kansas City Proud Boys recruit

Source: The Hill

A woman who was charged in connection with the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol claimed she was recruited by the Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys.

The claim made by Felicia Konold of Tucson, Ariz., appeared in a court affidavit supporting her which was unsealed last week.

The FBI said in the affidavit that it received a tip regarding a Snapchat account belonging to Konold. The witness provided a compilation of three videos from the account to the bureau.

In one of the videos, Konold celebrates that she had “just been recruited into a f—-ing chapter from Kansas City.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/539205-woman-charged-in-capitol-riot-says-she-was-recruit-by-kansas-city

Riot probe to likely focus on McCarthy-Trump call

Source: The Hill

Wary of inflaming tensions within his own party, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) is staying silent about his frantic Jan. 6 call to then-President Trump as rioters raided the Capitol.

...

That heated phone call — which Democratic prosecutors made part of the official impeachment record — is almost certain to be investigated by the 9/11-style commission that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is promising to examine the events surrounding the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

Congress is moving quickly. Leadership sources said a bill to create an independent commission could come this week.

...

The call also could be part of any future criminal or civil complaints against Trump, including a suit filed Tuesday by the Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson (Miss.) .

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/539129-riot-probe-to-likely-focus-on-mccarthy-trump-call

Fauci Awarded $1 Million Israeli Prize For 'Speaking Truth To Power' Amid Pandemic

Source: NPR

America's top infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci received a prestigious $1 million Israeli prize Monday, along with six other researchers who shared two additional $1 million prizes for their contributions to health and medicine.

The Dan David Prize, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, said it honored Fauci for his career in public health and "speaking truth to power" during the politicized COVID-19 crisis.

Fauci "is the consummate model of leadership and impact in public health," the awards committee said in a statement.

The award sets aside 10% of the prize money for academic scholarships in each winner's field. Fauci gets to determine the nature of the scholarships.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/02/15/968059128/fauci-awarded-1-million-israeli-prize-for-speaking-truth-to-power-amid-pandemic