January 11, 2021

Trump's nonprofit inaugural committee improperly paid a $49,000 bill incurred by his company, D.C. a

Trump’s nonprofit inaugural committee improperly paid a $49,000 bill incurred by his company, D.C. attorney general alleges

Washington Post
By David A. Fahrenthold
Jan. 11, 2021

President Trump’s private business failed to pay a $49,000 hotel bill incurred during Trump’s 2017 inaugural — and then, after the bill went to a collections agency, Trump’s nonprofit inaugural committee agreed to pay the charge instead, according to a new filing from the D.C. attorney general.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) had already sued Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, alleging it had wasted donors’ money on an overpriced, barely used ballroom at Trump’s own D.C. hotel.

On Monday, Racine added an allegation to that suit. He said the president’s inaugural committee — a tax-exempt charity — had improperly paid a bill it did not owe, using nonprofit funds to pay a bill owed by a for-profit business.

“The Trump Organization was liable for the invoiced charges,” Racine’s office said in the filing. “The [Inaugural Committee’s] payment of the invoice was unfair, unreasonable and unjustified and ultimately conferred improper private benefit to the Trump Organization.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-nonprofit-inaugural-committee-improperly-paid-a-49000-bill-incurred-by-his-company-dc-attorney-general-alleges/2021/01/11/18fdf6da-5427-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html

January 11, 2021

Comcast suspends contributions to lawmakers who voted against Electoral College certification

CNN
From CNN's Alison Kosik

Comcast says it is suspending all of its political contributions “to those elected officials who voted against certification of the electoral college votes, which will give us the opportunity to review our political giving policies and practices.”

In a statement to CNN on Monday, the telecommunications company called the rioting at the US Capitol “appalling,” adding that the transition of power this year “will take place among some of the most challenging conditions in modern history.”

Comcast said its “focus needs to be on working together for the good of the entire nation.”

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-impeachment-news-01-11-21/index.html

January 11, 2021

New coronavirus advice

January 11, 2021

Mice. Any suggestions?

Cat died a few months ago.

Now mouse poop appearing in several places around the house.

Dogs don't seem to care.

January 11, 2021

Isn't it a wonderful relief to be spared the Dotard's daily spews of poison?

The air feels fresher and cleaner.

January 11, 2021

JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs Join U.S. Corporations Halting Political Donations After Capitol Riot

Source: CNBC

By Hugh Son, CNBC • Published January 11, 2021

JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs announced six-month pauses in contributions for Republicans and Democrats.

Citigroup told employees it is suspending PAC donations to all lawmakers during the first quarter.

Of the six biggest U.S. banks, only Morgan Stanley made it clear that it will not make donations to members of Congress who opposed the Electoral College certification of Biden.

JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup announced temporary suspensions of political donations following last week's invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, is pausing political action committee contributions for Republicans and Democrats for "at least" the next six months, spokesman Steve O'Halloran said. The New York-based bank will use that time to consider changes to its political-donation strategies.

Read more: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/business/money-report/jpmorgan-and-citigroup-join-u-s-corporations-halting-political-donations-after-capitol-riot/2536691/

January 11, 2021

Biden names William J. Burns as CIA pick

Source: Washington Post

By
John Wagner
National political reporter
Jan. 11, 2021 at 9:38 a.m. EST

President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday that he plans to name William J. Burns, a career diplomat who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to run the CIA. The choice marked Biden's last major personnel announcement as he prepares to enter the White House on Jan. 20.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/11/trump-impeachment-biden-transition-live-updates/

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More info

Agence France-Presse via Raw Story

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Burns spent over three decades in the US foreign service, including a stint as ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008, and high-ranking jobs in the State Department.

"Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure," Biden said in a statement released by his transition team.

Burns, who holds a masters and doctoral degrees from Oxford University, also served as US ambassador to Oman from 1998-2001.

He retired from the foreign service in 2014 and is the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an international affairs think tank in the United States.

https://www.rawstory.com/biden-taps-career-diplomat-william-burns-as-cia-chief/

CNN:

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"The American people will sleep soundly with him as our next CIA Director," Biden said in a statement.
If confirmed, Burns would become the first leader in the CIA's history whose lifelong experience comes from the State Department.

"Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure," Biden said. "He shares my profound belief that intelligence must be apolitical and that the dedicated intelligence professionals serving our nation deserve our gratitude and respect."

Biden was drawn to Burns because of his diplomatic experience and his perceived ability to restore credibility to the intelligence agency in the post-Trump era, people familiar with the matter said, along with his expertise on Russia. His selection would bypass other contenders with more formal experience in the intelligence field.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/william-burns-cia-director-nomination/index.html

January 11, 2021

DC Mayor Asks Feds to Cancel Demonstration Permits, Plan Inauguration Security

By Mark Segraves and NBC Washington Staff

The mayor of Washington, D.C., asked federal officials to cancel permits for demonstrations and plan to protect federal property around Inauguration Day “given the new threats from insurgent acts of domestic terrorists.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser asked Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to cancel public gathering permits for the next two weeks, from Jan. 11 to Jan. 24. The request is “essential to demonstrating our collective resolve in ensuring the constitutional transfer of power and our nation’s capital,” Bowser wrote in a letter Saturday, days after a stunning riot inside the U.S. Capitol Building.

Additionally, the mayor asked federal officials to extend the “national special security event” period from Jan. 11 to Jan. 24, instead of its current Jan. 19 to Jan. 21. The extension will allow local and federal officials to better prepare for Inauguration Day, she wrote. D.C. urged DHS to get permission from Congress to include the Capitol and its grounds in the security perimeter.

D.C. asked for a pre-disaster declaration, and urged DHS to coordinate with Congress, the Justice Department and the Supreme Court to plan to protect federal property so D.C. officers can focus on local, D.C. land.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-mayor-asks-feds-to-cancel-demonstration-permits-plan-inauguration-security/2536542/

January 9, 2021

Deutsche Bank to pay more than $100 million in deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecuto

CNN
Sonia Moghe
Updated 4:38 PM ET, Sat January 9, 2021

Deutsche Bank entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors who allege the bank violated anti-bribery laws while doing business abroad. The bank has agreed to pay more than $100 million in penalties, prosecutors announced Friday.

The German bank entered into the agreement with Brooklyn federal prosecutors remotely. The criminal complaint charges the bank with two counts including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and wire fraud conspiracy affecting a financial institution.

The agreement does not include mention of any connection to an investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors into whether President Donald Trump misled or defrauded Deutsche Bank by inflating the value of some of his assets. But it does say that Deutsche Bank would "cooperate fully" with other investigations.

The Bank has loaned the Trump Organization more than $300 million, and CNN reported that the private bankers who worked with Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner resigned weeks before Trump's last day in office.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/09/business/deutsche-bank-anti-bribery-fine-agreement/index.html

January 9, 2021

Buzzfeed News: These Black Capitol Police Officers Describe Fighting Off "Racist Ass Terrorists"

Emmanuel Felton BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on January 9, 2021, at 4:32 p.m. ET

The first glimpse of the deadly tragedy that was about to unfold came at 9 a.m. on the morning of the insurrection for one Black veteran of the US Capitol Police. But it didn't come from his superiors — instead the officer had to rely on a screenshot from Instagram sent to him by a friend.

"I found out what they were planning when a friend of mine screenshot me an Instagram story from the Proud Boys saying, 'We're breaching the capitol today, guys. I hope y'all ready.'" The officer, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from his superiors, told BuzzFeed News that it was just a sign of the chaos that was to come, which saw officers regularly finding themselves unprepared and then outmanned and overpowered by the mob.

The officer said that while the department's upper management had been telling them to prepare for Wednesday's storming of the Capitol like they would for any other protest, that Instagram post sent a clear message: this wasn’t going to be just some kind of free speech protest, this was going to be a fight.

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“You have the nerve to be holding a blue lives matter flag, and you are out there fucking us up,” he told one group of protestors he encountered inside the Capitol. “[One guy] pulled out his badge and he said, ‘we're doing this for you.’ Another guy had his badge. So I was like, ‘well, you gotta be kidding.’”

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/black-capitol-police-racism-mob?ref=bfnsplash