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Published by DPA If you’re a smoker, your goal should be to stop, even if it means first switching to another harmful addiction like vaping, says vascular specialist Martin Storck. Franziska Gabbert/dpa Switching to vaping can be a safe first step on the way to giving up smoking, says one vascular physician – provided giving up tobacco does not succeed by other means. “The e-cigarette route involves an immediate massive risk reduction,” says Professor Martin Storck of the German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine, arguing that the goal should be to stop smoking, even if it means switching to another addiction. “Smoking is the most important risk factor for the development and progression of atherosclerosis,” says Storck, “with the consequences of stroke, heart attack or amputation – especially in diabetics.” And yet while they are less harmful than cigarettes, they’re far from harmless, and e-cigarettes are also addictive substances. What’s more, the vapour you inhale also contains substances that are harmful to your health, and little is known about the long-term consequences. For those considering switching to vaping, vascular physician Storck points to reviews by the Cochrane organisation, which campaigns for evidence-based health care and evaluates available literature. These studies have shown that the vapour from e-cigarettes and tobacco heaters contains significantly fewer harmful substances than cigarette smoke. “The order of magnitude is 90 to 95 per cent less.” Therefore, a 100 per cent switch to e-cigarettes would be an option for smokers who otherwise would not be able to quit smoking, Storck says. “Of course, complete quitting smoking remains the primary goal,” Storck clarifies, and e-cigarettes are only the lesser of two evils. The problem: “Many smokers don’t even want to quit at first. After decades of smoking in some cases, it is difficult to give up smoking completely overnight – for example after a heart attack or pneumonia.” In the view of the physician and his professional association, switching to e-cigarettes can at least reduce certain health risks. If you’re a smoker, your goal should be to stop, even if it means first switching to another harmful addiction like vaping, says vascular specialist Martin Storck. Mascha Brichta/dpa If you’re a smoker, your goal should be to stop, even if it means first switching to another harmful addiction like vaping, says vascular specialist Martin Storck. M. Kümmerle/Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe/dpa View the full article

Published by DPA Psychology experts say the pandemic has been accompanied by an epidemic of poor mental health. The crisis is showing few signs of improvement in 2022, and experts say many will need to consider seeking therapeutic help. Julian Stratenschulte/dpa As we enter a new year laden with uncertainty, our mental health and sense of well-being are being tested again. It’s OK (and normal) to fail these tests once in a while. In the last year, the pandemic has opened up conversations about how to provide more widespread and culturally sensitive mental health support for all ages, especially after US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy warned of an emerging youth mental health crisis in December. Why is it so important to normalize these discussions? Loretta Whitson, executive director of the California Association of School Counselors, shared a message she recently received about a young girl who went to see a school counselor after attending a schoolwide mental health presentation and is now in much-needed therapy. “‘You gave that 12-year-old the courage to save herself,'” she read from the text message. “I love that,” she said. “The courage to save yourself.” Learning to prioritize and manage your mental well-being — especially when the trauma is real and being anxious makes sense — is a process that requires patience. We’ve broken down the basics of mental healthcare for those who have found the courage to seek help but may not realize what their options are. There are many oft-cited recommendations for improving your mood, including exercising, maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and meditating. But different people have different socioeconomic and environmental stressors — and it’s often beneficial to connect with people who relate to your particular struggles and can share coping strategies that have worked for them. Here are some of the insights we’ve gained from covering mental health over the last year. 1 – Find mental health care wherever (andhowever) you can Individual sessions with a therapist are effective for a lot of people. For others, they’re expensive, time-consuming or impractical. But therapy can come in many different forms, and if you can, make it a habit and priority to manage your mental health before you reach a breaking point. Maybe you could use a dose of (curated) TikTok therapy to learn some simple skills — whether it’s therapist Courtney Tracy (@the.truth.doctor) explaining different types of anxiety psychologist Raquel Martin showing a grounding technique she uses with her patients or Latinos bonding over how they deal with first-generation trauma. Maybe what you need is to find your community and tell — or hear — your story. Comedian D’Lo told The Times about the workshops he runs that help South Asian immigrants tell their coming-out stories. He also performs autobiographical solo shows, which can be a therapeutic experience for both him and his fans. “It is the vehicle of comedy that allows people to look at their own story through my story and not feel like it’s so overwhelming,” he said. If you can’t afford professional help, you can look for other options. Your workplace, school or place of worship may have free sessions with counselors. There are hotlines and warmlines to call. There are also mental health smartphone apps — and guidance for how to pick a good one. If you have insurance, you might start with the ones your insurer recommends or provides for free. 2 – Personalize your mental health care You need to rest and destress, but what does resting and destressing look like for you? Does it look like sitting in a cross-legged position and chanting mantras, or does it look like hiking up to the highest peak in your area? Does it look like curling up in a blanket and reading, tending to your garden, getting to the ocean to surf or playing your favourite video games? Find the combination that leaves you feeling rejuvenated. Similarly, if you’re looking for a therapist, what kind of therapist would be best at understanding your challenges? Have you had to say goodbye to a loved one in hospice care? Are you having grief linked to climate change? Are you a teacher who is feeling burnt out? A therapist’s job is to help you with your goals for mental well-being. So first, figure out your goals. 3 – Destigmatizing mental health challenges can start with you 2021 was the year that athletes such as Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka showed us it’s OK to not be OK. Sharing our own stories — even if it’s just to our small circle of loved ones — can encourage empathy and help others feel less alone. This includes when we are talking to young kids about difficult topics. The American Psychological Association encourages parents to acknowledge their own feelings and emotions to show that they’re human. And don’t forget that destigmatizing mental health challenges includes giving ourselves grace when we’re struggling. Dave Leon, a therapist and founder of the mental health nonprofit Painted Brain, says he’s rarely trying to change the patient. Instead, he’s trying to help them change the environment around them. “What I’ve seen, especially with my own experience with depression — and with people with anxiety, people with personality disorders — is that a lot of it is a very realistic reaction to the crazy, insane contradictions that we’re expected to make to live in this world,” he said. 4 – Learn how to relax your body quickly when faced with stress Marlene Valter, psychologist and founder of the mental health company AnaVault, acknowledged that not everyone is able to take a break or walk away when something stressful happens. Valter suggested getting in the habit of taking five to 10 seconds to scan your body for tension from the top of your head to your toes, relaxing all your muscles along the way. And you can do that throughout the day, 50 times a day, she said. “Now when you’re facing a stressor, a deadline, a difficult boss or co-worker or family member, you can take five seconds to relax and face the trauma and forever change the wiring of your brain,” said Valter. “This gets you off of an old hamster wheel of anxiety.” At the end of the day, she said, it’s not about living a stress-free life. It’s about tackling your challenges with a clear mind. 5 – Always feel free to reassess If whatever you’re doing to manage your mental health isn’t working, try something else, whether it’s a new form of self-care or another therapist. “I always tell my clients during the consult that the first few sessions are going to be assessing fit,” Anjali Alimchandani, a psychologist and an advisory board member of the National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network told The Times. “You might feel good with me but, as we are talking more, find that it’s not the right fit, and that’s absolutely OK.” “If a therapist doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean therapy is not a good fit,” David Rudesill, a psychotherapist at Cal State Los Angeles, said. “Find another one. Some people do this for several sessions, or even for years, and then they drop out, they stop going or they make an excuse, and it’s unfortunate, because something didn’t change that they wanted to change.” Reassessing your situation, your decisions or your purpose can also be helpful. Therapist Brian Torres works with clients in the entertainment industry who feel trapped, and he encourages them to consider a career Plan B, even if it’s just as a thought exercise. “If you start this inquiry about what else is there, you may feel less stuck,” Torres said. “I try to just slowly make room for what else could bring you happiness.” View the full article

Published by AFP Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban listens while US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before a meeting in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019 Washington (AFP) – Former US president Donald Trump on Monday enthusiastically backed the reelection of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a hero of the far-right who has been accused of creeping authoritarianism. In a statement issued along the lines of his frequent blessings to Republican candidates in primary elections at home, Trump wrote that the Hungarian leader has his “Complete support and Endorsement” in elections expected in April. “He has done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming Election. He is a strong leader and respected by all,” Trump wrote. Trump welcomed Orban to the White House in 2019, a symbolic acceptance for the prime minister who frequently clashes with the European Union leadership and was snubbed both by President Joe Biden and Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama. Some Trump administration officials argued at the time that the goal was to keep in the Western fold a leader who had flirted with Russia, and then secretary of state Mike Pompeo made a point of meeting activists who ran afoul of Orban during a visit to Budapest. But Orban has increasingly been hailed both by Trump’s wing of the Republican Party and European far-right leaders such as France’s Marine Le Pen, especially over his refusal to accept refugees. Tucker Carlson, a Fox News host close to Trump, broadcast last year from Budapest and was given an interview with Orban as well as a helicopter tour of a border fence. Orban has also sought to mobilize support on opposition to LGBTQ rights, with a ban on “promotion and display” of homosexuality and a related referendum expected on the same day as the election. Orban, who has been in charge since 2010, faces a potentially serious challenge from Peter Marki-Zay, who describes himself as a traditional Catholic conservative and has vowed to scrap homophobic laws if elected. View the full article

Published by Reuters MOSCOW (Reuters) – China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin on Monday. It said that the five countries – who are the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – consider it their primary responsibility to avoid war between the nuclear states and to reduce strategic risks, while aiming to work with all countries to create an atmosphere of security. “We declare there could be no winners in a nuclear war, it should never be started,” the Russian-language version of the statement read. “As the use of nuclear arms would have far-reaching consequences, we also confirm that nuclear arms – as long as they exist – should serve defensive aims, deterrence against aggression and prevention of war.” France also released the statement, underscoring that the five powers reiterated their determination for nuclear arms control and disarmament. They would continue bilateral and multilateral approaches to nuclear arms control, it said. The statement comes amid increased geopolitical tensions between Moscow and Western nations over concerns about Russia’s military build-up near neighbouring Ukraine. Moscow says it can move its army around its own territory as it deems necessary. Last Thursday U.S. President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that a possible move on Ukraine will draw sanctions and an increased U.S. presence in Europe, where tensions are high after Russia’s military buildup at the border. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Prince Andrew looked worried and agitated as he made his way to Queen Elizabeth's on New Year's Day. The 61-year-old disgraced royal has been holed up in Windsor palace in crisis mode with his legal team after his pal Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking minors. Despite desperately trying to strategize their next move in the Virginia Roberts Giuffre's sex abuse lawsuit, Andrew took a break to have lunch with his mother — but he couldn't hide the stress on his face. Prince Andrew May Lose Royal Title, Get Thrown Into 'Internal Exile' If He Loses Fight In Virginia Robert's Assault Case Mega Flanked by his detectives and security, the Queen's embattled son was caught in the driver's seat of his expensive Range Rover. Driving down the long pathway to his mom's home, Andrew looked upset behind the steering wheel. When he spotted the paparazzi, he appeared to only become more upset. Changing his body language almost immediately, Andrew slumped over and attempted to hide from the shutterbugs while continuing to make the short trek to the Queen's palace. Besides being protected from the front by his walking guards, Andrew was also safeguarded from the back by his team, who were driving an almost identical SUV. Andrew's nervous and stressed mannerisms say it all. Hours after his outing to the Queen's, it was revealed his alleged deal with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is set to be made public. Mega The royal has been accused of reaping the benefits of Epstein's sex trafficking pyramid scandal. Andrew is currently battling Roberts Giuffre, who sued him in August, claiming she was ordered to have sex with him by Epstein when she was just 17 years old. Andrew has denied her allegations, but whatever alleged deal he had with Epstein might blow his cover. According to reports, a New York judge is expected to unseal a confidential agreement between the two powerful men on Monday. This could throw a huge wrench into his legal team's strategy and may push the lawsuit into a full-on trial. Andrew's attorneys will make a last-ditch effort to get Roberts Giuffre's lawsuit thrown out on Tuesday. They call her accusations “baseless.” Mega View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Asghari plans to keep “reaching for the stars”. The 27-year-old actor – who is engaged to Britney Spears – has revealed he doesn’t have “humble goals” and he’s determined to realise his career ambitions. He shared: “Where would I love to be in five to ten years from now on? When it comes to my career, I do not have humble goals and skies the limit, so don’t expect for anything less. I will be reaching for the stars. “We’re going to get there. With a lot of hard work and a lot of preparation and a lot of sleepless nights, we will get there.” Sam also revealed that he and Britney, 40, share a passion for horseback riding. The actor described horses as “majestic animals”, and explained that it’s a great way for them to bond as a couple. Speaking about their passion, Sam told HollywoodLife.com: “We love going horseback riding. It is such a fun exercise and a great way to bond, and also just a great date, regardless. “Horses are majestic animals. They are so massive, and they are so peaceful at the same time. I personally love horses. They are one of my favourite animals. “They are just so majestic and there is something about them, their energy, that is so peaceful.” Meanwhile, an insider recently revealed that Britney is planning to make her comeback in 2022. The pop star had her conservatorship terminated in 2021, and Britney is now focusing on her career comeback. The source explained: “Britney is actively eyeing different brand deals and entertainment opportunities. Several brands have reached out to her with amazing offers and nothing is off the table. “She’s excited to put her businesswoman hat on in the new year and explore different ventures that weren’t available to her in the past.” Sam Asghari With Britney on Towleroad Janet Jackson Trailer Drops For A Janet Doc Like You Never Did See; Yes, Michael’s Scandals Hurt ‘by Association’, But It’s A Minor Point : WATCH More Berlin nightclubs launch vaccination week More Adele, Stallone Home? Buff Bezos; Billie Jean King; Hannaham ‘Pilot Imposter’ Earns Best Reviews; Orangutan Drives Cart of ‘Dreams’: HOT Links More Omicron evades immunity better than Delta, Danish study finds More Ashli Babbitt: Rorschach test for attack on US Capitol More Kim Cattrall calls for suicide prevention on late brother’s 59th birthday More Prince Andrew accuser’s deal with Epstein to be made public as part of civil suit More Cassandra Peterson, Best Known For playing ‘Elvira Mistress of the Dark’ Jokes About Getting Dolly Parton to Play Her For Biopic More Twitter Blocks Marjorie Taylor Greene Permanently; Personal Account Shut Down for Repeated Violations of Covid Misinformation More Load More View the full article

Janet Jackson Trailer on Towleroad Berlin nightclubs launch vaccination week More Adele, Stallone Home? Buff Bezos; Billie Jean King; Hannaham ‘Pilot Imposter’ Earns Best Reviews; Orangutan Drives Cart of ‘Dreams’: HOT Links More Omicron evades immunity better than Delta, Danish study finds More Ashli Babbitt: Rorschach test for attack on US Capitol More Kim Cattrall calls for suicide prevention on late brother’s 59th birthday More Prince Andrew accuser’s deal with Epstein to be made public as part of civil suit More Cassandra Peterson, Best Known For playing ‘Elvira Mistress of the Dark’ Jokes About Getting Dolly Parton to Play Her For Biopic More Twitter Blocks Marjorie Taylor Greene Permanently; Personal Account Shut Down for Repeated Violations of Covid Misinformation More bell hooks Will Never Leave Us – ‘When I Need To Be Reminded Of How To Love And Fight, I Turn To Her Work’; Start With 3 Books More Load More View the full article

Published by DPA People wait to get their Covid-19 vaccination doses at the “Sage Beach” club. Berlin nightclubs launched a week-long vaccination campaign on Monday, making good on a pledge made last year by the German capital’s nightlife venues. Jörg Carstensen/dpa A Berlin nightclub launched a week-long vaccination campaign on Monday, making good on a pledge made last year by the German capital’s nightlife venues. Sage Beach began vaccinating, and other venues would be following suit over the course of the week, Lutz Leichsenring, spokesman for the club committee, said. The campaign had “started well,” Leichsenring said, with half the 4,500 openings taken up by online reservation. Dancing is currently banned in Berlin. The capital’s clubs have repeatedly issued calls for the population to get their shots and organized a “long vaccination night” during the summer, with music played in the vaccination centres. “We want to get through the pandemic together and make our contribution,” Leichsenring said. At least three other clubs are joining the campaign, in which appointments can be booked online, whether for first, second or booster vaccinations. Many Berlin clubs have closed their doors, taking the view that the ban on dancing has made paying business impossible. There was considerable unhappiness at government policy, Leichsenring said. He noted that the clubs performed an important social function. The committee has previously called for dancing to be allowed for patrons who have undergone a recent test for the coronavirus. According to the official disease control body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 71.8 per cent of the population of the city-state of Berlin have received two shots of vaccine, in line with the national figure of 71.2 per cent. People wait to get their Covid-19 vaccination doses at the “Sage Beach” club. Berlin nightclubs launched a week-long vaccination campaign on Monday, making good on a pledge made last year by the German capital’s nightlife venues. Jörg Carstensen/dpa View the full article

Did you miss the good news in 2021 — Pajiba Billie Jena King, Adele’s New Home? The Rock and Vin Diesel… Links Ariana Grande Surprised 'Don't Look Up' Director By Improvising Some of Her Best Lines“Full Forensic Audit” Of Texas Election Finds NothingSam Asghari Opens Up About His Relationship With Fiancee Britney SpearsLeslie Jordan accepts Tik Tok challengeThe Richest 'Queer Eye' Cast Members Ranked from Lowest to Highest (& the Wealthiest Have Net Worths of $6 Million!)Billy Eichner Flaunts Fit Physique in Hot New Shirtless Selfie!Anderson Cooper Will Host A Brand New Show For CNN+300 Stars Who Are 80+ And Still With UsAndy Cohen Got A Bit Messy On-Air During CNN’s NYE LIVE Celebration'Saturday Night Live' to Re-Air Episode with Betty White as Host in Honor of Her Death James Hannaham by James Hannaham ‘Pilot Impostor’ proves that James Hannaham is one of America’s most inventive writers — Washington Post” “James Hannaham’s first two novels, 2009’s “God Says No” and the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning “Delicious Foods” of 2015, vaulted him to the top tier of inventive American writers. Now, the publication of “Pilot Impostor” should secure his place at the apex. Hannaham is not only creative or stunningly gifted or intellectual or supremely original, but all those distinctions at once. … It goes on If you order it via this link we might earn pocket change. 2010’s Betty White Lines … Go Through My Mind [This post contains video, click to play] Buff Bezos Prime; Ariana Grande Improv; Texas Audit Zilch; Sam Asghari, 300 Living Stars over 80 years; Richest Queer Eye? Yup Buff Bezos is on Omg.blog OMG, Jeff Bezos is now buff because of Tom Cruise’s trainerOMG, have you heard? Phew! Chrissy Teigen posted an eyebrow transplant update to InstagramA History Of Gay Rap + Golden Globe Noms Are Here (And Snub Rita Moreno) + Gay Dad Threesome + Colton Haynes Launches Memoir + MORE! — 12-PACKAndy Cohen Got A Bit Messy On-Air During CNN’s NYE LIVE Celebration300 Stars Who Are 80+ And Still With UsThe Richest 'Queer Eye' Cast Members Ranked from Lowest to Highest (& the Wealthiest Have Net Worths of $6 Million!)Leslie Jordan accepts Tik Tok challengeSam Asghari Opens Up About His Relationship With Fiancee Britney Spears“Full Forensic Audit” Of Texas Election Finds NothingAriana Grande Surprised 'Don't Look Up' Director By Improvising Some of Her Best LinesDefinitely the Most Chill Orangutan Dreams Driving Golf Cart set to Fleetwood Mac All Week. View the full article

Published by Reuters COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – The Omicron coronavirus variant is better at circumventing vaccinated peoples’ immunity than the Delta variant, according to a Danish study published last week, helping explain why Omicron is spreading more rapidly. Since the discovery of the heavily mutated Omicron variant in November, scientists have been racing to find out whether it causes less serious disease and why it appears more contagious than the previously dominating Delta variant. A virus can be more transmissible due to a number of reasons, such as the time it lingers in the air, its ability to latch onto cells, or its evasion of the body’s immune system. Investigating nearly 12,000 Danish households in mid-December, the scientists found that Omicron was 2.7 to 3.7 times more infectious than the Delta variant among vaccinated Danes. The study, conducted by researchers at University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark and Statens Serum Institut (SSI), suggests the virus is mainly spreading more rapidly because it is better at evading immunity obtained from vaccines. “Our findings confirm that the rapid spread of the Omicron (variant) primarily can be ascribed to the immune evasiveness rather than an inherent increase in the basic transmissibility,” the researchers said. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed. Seventy-eight percent of Danes have been fully vaccinated, while nearly 48% of those have received a third “boosted” shot. More than eight out of ten Danes have received Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine. The study also found that booster-vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus, regardless of the variant, than the unvaccinated. While more transmissible, the Omicron variant does seem to induce less serious disease, SSI’s technical director, Tyra Grove Krause, told local media on Monday. “While Omicron will still be able to put pressure on our healthcare system, everything indicates that it is milder than the Delta variant,” she said, adding the risk of being hospitalised with Omicron was half of that with Delta. That echoes the results of some other studies into Omicron. Out of a total of 93 people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 from Omicron in late December, less than five were receiving intensive care, Danish data showed. “This may be what is going to lift us out of the pandemic, so that this becomes the last wave of corona,” Krause said. (Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Mark Potter) View the full article

Published by AFP Ashli Babbitt is a freedom-fighting heroine to some in the United States, and a misguided conspiracy theorist to others Los Angeles (AFP) – A conspiracy-spouting extremist or a patriotic martyr? Ashli Babbitt, who was shot dead a year ago during the invasion of the US Capitol, is a Rorschach test for the deep political fault line that runs through the United States. An Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and voted for America’s first Black president, Babbitt died wrapped in a flag bearing the name of Donald Trump, the populist billionaire who still insists he won an election that he lost by a wide margin. Her journey of radical transformation mirrors that of many of the supporters of the real estate tycoon, who, on January 6, 2021, was desperately seeking to preserve his divisive presidency. That day, Congress was gathering to certify the election of Joe Biden as 46th president of the United States. Speaking to a large crowd near the White House, an angry Trump once again told supporters the election had been “stolen” and encouraged them to march on Congress. Babbitt was among the first of hundreds of people to breach the Capitol building’s security, as elected officials barricaded themselves in rooms, cowering from an angry mob. In footage filmed by one of the intruders, the 35-year-old can be seen trying to get through a broken window. “Go! Come on!” she shouts, encouraging those behind her to hoist her in. As her head appears through the window, a Capitol police officer fires his weapon, striking Babbitt in the shoulder. She would die from her injuries. – MAGA and QAnon – Babbitt was born in 1985 to a modest Southern California family in the San Diego suburbs, where politics was not particularly important, according to Roger Witthoeft, one of her four younger brothers. She enlisted in the Air Force at age 17, straight from school, and did tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. Subsequent spells in the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard led to a posting near Washington, as well as two more deployments to the Middle East. Babbitt left the military as a relatively low-ranking senior airman in 2016, several years before she would have become eligible for a pension or other benefits, and she returned to her hometown, not far from the Mexican border. There, she and her second husband took over a struggling pool maintenance company. In videos posted to social media, Babbitt raged against both the homeless and undocumented migrants, castigating Democratic elected officials for “refusing to acknowledge or even admit that we do need” a wall on the Mexican border — Trump’s signature campaign pledge. “The border is an absolute shit show,” she said. “There’s riots, there’s arrests, there’s rapes, there’s drugs… there are tons of issues. “I want my politicians to start coming down here and telling me that my reality is a lie. “You guys refuse to choose America over your stupid political party.” She attended Trump rallies wearing the red “Make America Great Again” hat that symbolized the movement, and presented herself on Twitter as a “libertarian.” It was here that she railed against the “pedophiles” and “satanists” she believed controlled the Democratic Party. To her brother, Babbitt was just “a normal Californian.” “The issues she was mad about were the things all of us are mad about,” he said. “That was one of her things — for the first time in her life, she could actually say what she wanted to say, and didn’t have to bottle it up” as she had had to do in the military. When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the United States, Babbitt embraced the anti-science rhetoric of the hard right. A sign posted on the door of her company read: “Mask free autonomous zone, better known as America,” where “we shake hands like men.” On January 5, she took to social media again, writing: “Nothing will stop us…they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon (Washington) DC in less than 24 hours…dark to light!” The phraseology is common among followers of QAnon, the loose amalgam of conspiracy theories that sees present-day politics as an existential fight between good and evil. For some fellow travelers, this invocation was enough to earn Babbitt immortality as a woman fighting for the soul of America, a tragic heroine who fell in battle. Babbitt’s mother told The Washington Post her daughter “made the ultimate sacrifice” to bring attention to what she said was “a stolen election.” But she acknowledged that not everyone agrees. “Half the country loves her and half the country hates her,” she told the paper. “It’s weird to have your child belong to the world.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Cattrall has called for suicide prevention on her late brother Christopher’s 59th birthday. The ‘Sex and the City’ star took to Twitter on Sunday (02.01.22) to pay her respects to her younger sibling, who was just 55 when he took his own life in early 2018. Alongside an old photograph of the pair, she wrote on Instagram: “Today would have been my baby brother Chris’s 59th b’day. Happy Birthday, sweet ‘Topher’. We miss you today and everyday. RIPx #SuicidePrevention (sic)” The 65-year-old actress tragically lost her brother just days after she had asked her fans for help finding him when he went missing in Canada. It was later revealed Christopher died of suicide, and Kim admitted she will “never be the same” following his shock death. She said at the time: “I am different now and I will never be the same. No one can prepare you. He was suffering from depression but depression is a curious thing and it can be impossible to detect if someone does not want you to know. “And so I didn’t know. We [her family] didn’t know. And when you lose someone to suicide there is always the question, ‘If I could only have, if I did only, if I was only…’ and it haunts you. And you have to learn to live with those endless questions, the endless guilt, the endless frustration every day because you are in a new reality and there is nothing you can do to change it.” The British-Canadian star previously admitted she learned to “appreciate” her family and friends following the devastating loss. She said: “I think recently the thing that has taught me the most is loss. I’ve lost two family members and I think what it teaches me, I’m not there yet, but to really enjoy what you do, your family, your friends, to really appreciate … when I say goodbye to somebody I’m not going to see for a while. “The thought is now I might not see them again or for a couple of months but I want to keep those connections. I feel I value them much more, they take up more of how I want to spend my time because I realise how precious it is. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s 2009 settlement agreement with Virginia Giuffre is expected to be made public on Monday, as part of Giuffre’s civil lawsuit accusing Britain’s Prince Andrew of sexual abuse. Giuffre’s lawsuit accuses https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/prince-andrew-is-sued-by-jeffrey-epstein-accuser-over-alleged-sexual-abuse-2021-08-09 Andrew of forcing her to have sex more than two decades ago when she was under 18 at the London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and abusing her at two of Epstein’s homes. Giuffre, 38, is seeking unspecified damages in a civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court. Andrew, 61, has denied Giuffre’s assertions and has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Giuffre is seeking a “payday” from her accusations against Epstein and his associates. The prince has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. He argues a confidential agreement Giuffre reached with Epstein, whom she has accused of trafficking her for sex when she was a teenager, shields him from liability. Andrew’s lawyer says the deal covers “royalty https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/epstein-settlement-with-giuffre-be-made-public-affects-prince-andrew-case-2021-12-29” and that Epstein intended for it to cover anyone Giuffre might sue. Giuffre’s civil case against Andrew is still in its early stages. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan has said a trial could begin between September and December of 2022 if no settlement is reached. A hearing on Andrew’s motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Andrew gave up many royal duties in November 2019, stating that his association with Epstein had become a “disruption to my family’s work.” Giuffre’s suit is separate from the criminal trial against Maxwell that concluded last week. Maxwell, 60, was convicted of recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Giuffre’s claims did not form the basis of any of the charges Maxwell faced and she did not testify for either side during the three-week criminal trial. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Diane Craft) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Cassandra Peterson wants Dolly Parton to play her in a movie. The 70-year-old star – who is best known for playing ‘Elvira: Mistress of the dark’ in the 1988 comedy horror of the same name – claimed a movie of her life is currently in the works and she’d love to see the ‘9 to 5’ hitmaker take on the lead role. She said: “There’s a biopic, with somebody else playing me. I’m thinking like, Dolly Parton, right? They’ve got to have the right physical attributes.” Cassandra admitted she spends the whole year preparing for her favourite holiday, Halloween, which falls on October 31, and has lots of projects in the pipeline that will be out around that time. She told SFX magazine: “I’m not kidding, I’ve got projects in the works right now that will be coming out around Halloween next year and even the following year. So I prep for it all year round. I think people’s perception is that I go to sleep on November 1 and then I come back on October 1 and start working.” The actress is also keen to get a stage musical version of her most famous work established after many years of trying. She said: “And then the third thing I’m trying to do that I’ve wanted to do for years and years, and I have made little attempts here and there to do, is a Broadway musical of ‘Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark.’ It’ll be something like ‘Hairspray’ or ‘The Rocky Horror Show…” She explained that her hopes for a musical were caught up in rights issues, but being relentless means she doesn’t plan to give up. She added: “I’m pretty much like a pitbull with a bone.” Her recent appearance in 2020’s animation ‘Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!’ ignited her passion for wanting to be in animated movies – and she’d love to see an ‘Evira’ cartoon sequel. She said: “ I would love to do an animated project. I don’t know when I’m going to fit all that in… “I would freakin love to make that movie. If it takes much longer, it’s definitely going to have to be animated. Nobody is going to want to see a 90-year-old Elvira.” View the full article

Published by AFP US Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (C) is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and critic of how the US government is handling the pandemic Washington (AFP) – Twitter said Sunday it has permanently suspended the personal account of outspoken Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for violating the platform’s Covid-19 misinformation policy. The lawmaker from Georgia is a loud and fervent supporter of Donald Trump and his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and is also known for making outlandish anti-vaccine claims and other false statements about the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter said it was shutting down Greene’s personal account — @mtgreenee — for repeated violations of its Covid misinformation policy. She still has access to her official Twitter handle, which is @RepMTG. Greene used the personal one more frequently. “We permanently suspended the account you referenced (@mtgreenee) for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy,” Twitter said in a statement sent to AFP. “We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy,” it added. Twitter did not specify exactly what Greene said to deserve this punishment. Greene hit back after her suspension, saying in a statement on Telegram that Twitter is “an enemy to America and can’t handle the truth. That’s fine, I’ll show America we don’t need them and it’s time to defeat our enemies. “ Twitter’s Covid misinformation police employees a strike system that metes out gradually escalating sanctions for violations. One strike results in nothing, for instance; three strikes results in a 12-hour account lock, and five strikes cause permanent suspension. Twitter had sanctioned Greene before the permanent suspension. Her account was suspended for one week in August after she tweeted that the Food and Drug Administration should not approve Covid vaccines because they were “failing” to slow the spread of the virus. On Saturday, she tweeted that deaths from vaccines used to be taken seriously in America but now “extremely high amount of covid vaccine deaths are ignored and government forced vaccine mandates are increased.” A year ago, Twitter banned Trump from the platform after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol by Trump supporters, who were fired up by his claims that he was robbed of victory over Joe Biden. twitter blocks marjorie taylor greene on Towleroad bell hooks Will Never Leave Us – ‘When I Need To Be Reminded Of How To Love And Fight, I Turn To Her Work’; Start With 3 Books More Britney Spears Birds Video With Hundreds Flying Out of Cages ‘Symbolic Of My Year’ More Fauci warns of danger of hospitalization surge due to large number of COVID cases More John Travolta Pal Tells OK ‘He’s Finally Ready For The Right Person’; Says Travolta Wants True Love; Weirdly Avoids Pronouns More ‘Incredible’: Trump supporters recall Capitol siege More Jan. 6 committee ‘looking into’ subpoenas for U.S. Republican lawmakers – chairman More U.S. Chief Justice says judges need ‘rigorous’ training on stock-trading rules More Ghislaine Maxwell Helped Kill Vanity Fair Exposé Of Her Sex Crimes, Newly Resurfaced Interview Reveals More Betty White, working actress into her 90s, dies just shy of her 100th birthday More Load More View the full article

Bell hooks’ books provide a window into her hugely influential theories. Karjean Levine/Getty Images Karsonya Wise Whitehead, Loyola University Maryland I was introduced to the work of bell hooks for the first time when I was 14 years old, sitting on my Nana’s porch, complaining about the mosquitoes and the heat. My Nana, who was probably frustrated by my endless complaints about being bored, stuck a copy of “Ain’t I A Woman” in my hand and told me just to “shut up and read.” I remember that summer because after I read that book, all we talked about was bell hooks and who she was and who I wanted to be. I said then that I wanted to be a writer, like bell hooks, and change the world with my words. I took her words with me when I went off to college, and by then, I had my own dog-eared copies of some of her books. I went to her work whenever I needed to be reminded of my strength. The world felt much safer when bell hooks and Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou were on the front line, carving out a path to freedom and modeling what a Black woman’s resistance to a system hellbent on trying to make them small looked like. bell hooks’ words went with me everywhere, even while they kept taking me back to myself. I, like countless others over the past 40 years, was inspired by bell hooks, who died on Dec. 15, 2021, at 69. As a leading Black intellectual, hooks pushed the feminist movement beyond the preserve of the white and middle-class, encouraging Black and working class perspectives on gender inequality. She taught us about white supremacist capitalist patriarchal values – giving both the words to define it and the methods to dismantle it. And unlike previous generations, she prompted Black women like myself to see ourselves, claim ourselves and love ourselves with an unapologetic fierceness. “No Black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much,’” bell hooks once wrote, “Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’… No woman has ever written enough.” I used to read her words to my sons when I was holding them in my arms, determined to practice “liberative parenting” and raise my Black sons as Black feminists. I met bell hooks in person several times in my capacity as an activist, an officer of the National Women’s Studies Association and as a scholar of African American studies. I have heard her lecture and have spoken with her, and every time, I was speechless. In her presence, I was once again the 14-year-old, sitting on the porch, diving into her words and finding myself on the other side. Her words, like my Nana’s hugs, always bought me back to myself, telling me, coaxing me, pushing me to become who I was meant to be in this world. I remember speaking her words to the wind, hoping that if I ever forgot who I was, the wind would remind me. Whenever I am hungry for truth, I turn to her work. When I need support or encouragement, I turn to her work. When I need to be reminded of how to love and fight, I turn to her work. So when I heard, read, realized and finally accepted that bell hooks – genius, scholar, cultural critic, truth speaker, one who had the strength to call out and challenge white supremacy and racism time and time again – had run on ahead to see how the end is going to be, all I could do was sit and breathe. I am not OK. None of us – feminists, scholars, activists, truth seekers, survivors – who have ever been touched by her work and her words are OK. Not today. Not at this moment, and not for a minute. It is not enough to say she saved me from cutting off my tongue, because unless you know her genius, you will think that this is just about violence and not about salvation. It is not enough to say that she saved me from burning it all down, because unless you know her brilliance, you will never understand how her words taught me how to come through the fire and be better and stronger on the other side. Because she wrote and published extensively, “bell hooks” the writer – a pen name that she borrowed from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks – will never leave us, but Gloria Jean Watkins, did. The sun is not shining as bright as when she was still with us. My son called to mourn with me and wanted to know which books I would recommend to someone who did not know who bell hooks was and did not understand why we were in mourning. I told him that they should start with these three, and once they have recovered from the truth of her words, they should then read her other 30-plus books and scholarly articles. Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981) The cover work for the first edition of ‘Ain’t I A Woman’ Wikimedia commons In perhaps one of her most provocative works, hooks provides a true and clear analysis of what it means to live and be a Black woman in a racist, misogynist world. If you want to understand what it means to be Black and a woman, you start here and then keep going. “It is obvious that many women have appropriated feminism to serve their own ends, especially those white women who have been at the forefront of the movement; but rather than resigning myself to this appropriation I choose to re-appropriate the term ‘feminism’, to focus on the fact that to be ‘feminist’ in any authentic sense of the term is to want for all people, female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression.” – Ain’t I a Woman Feminist Theory: from margin to center (1984) Cover art for Feminist Theory: from margin to center. Wikimedia Commons When I was in college and struggling with understanding and defining what it meant to be a feminist, my professor Jane Bond Moore gave me her copy of “Feminist Theory” and told me to use it as a blueprint and a guide. This book is bell hooks at her best, wielding her pen as a weapon and using it to call out and critique white feminism and white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy. “Our emphasis must be on cultural transformation: destroying dualism, eradicating systems of domination. Our feminist revolution here can be aided by the example of liberation struggles led by oppressed peoples globally who resist formidable powers. The formation of an oppositional world view is necessary for feminist struggle.” – Feminist Theory Teaching to Transgress (1994) Cover art for Teaching to Transgress. Routledge As a former middle school teacher and current professor, my goal was to learn how to teach students how to transgress and why they should transgress against racial, sexual and class boundaries. “Teaching to Transgress” lights the way for anyone who wants to use the classroom as a starting place to help our students claim agency over their own learning. “We must continually claim theory as necessary practice within a holistic framework of liberatory activism.” – Teaching to Transgress [Understand what’s going on in Washington. Sign up for The Conversation’s Politics Weekly.] Karsonya Wise Whitehead, Executive Director, Karson Institute for Race, Peace, & Social Justice, Loyola University Maryland This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. bell hooks : Love and fight on Towleroad Britney Spears Birds Video With Hundreds Flying Out of Cages ‘Symbolic Of My Year’ More Fauci warns of danger of hospitalization surge due to large number of COVID cases More John Travolta Pal Tells OK ‘He’s Finally Ready For The Right Person’; Says Travolta Wants True Love; Weirdly Avoids Pronouns More ‘Incredible’: Trump supporters recall Capitol siege More Jan. 6 committee ‘looking into’ subpoenas for U.S. Republican lawmakers – chairman More U.S. Chief Justice says judges need ‘rigorous’ training on stock-trading rules More Ghislaine Maxwell Helped Kill Vanity Fair Exposé Of Her Sex Crimes, Newly Resurfaced Interview Reveals More Betty White, working actress into her 90s, dies just shy of her 100th birthday More Violence against women insults God, pope says in New Year’s message More Load More View the full article

https://www.instagram.com/tv/cyior-pvq4u/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Published by OK Magazine MEGA Britney Spears is reflecting on her whirlwind year. 2021 was full of major events for the Princess of Pop, most notably being the termination of the restrictive conservatorship that has taken over her life since 2008. As the year draws to a close, Britney is looking back at her newly-regained freedom. In a cryptic video posted to her Instagram page on Thursday, December 30, the 40-year-old pop star shared a clip of hundreds of birds being released from their cages and flying away into the open sky, which clearly resonated with her in a special way. MEGA “SYMBOLIC of my year this year,” she wrote in the caption, seemingly alluding to the major legal victory that finally liberated her from the “abusive” arrangement under her father Jamie Spears and other conservators. BRITNEY SPEARS’ BEAU SAM ASGHARI SPILLS HE AUDITIONED FOR ‘AND JUST LIKE THAT…’ AS SEASON 2 REPORTEDLY SCRAPPED AFTER CHRIS NOTH SCANDAL Back in November, the judge presiding over Britney’s case decided to terminate the conservatorship, giving the “Toxic” singer the ability to rule her own life again. While she has been celebrating her new freedom alongside her handsome fiancé Sam Asghari, the singing sensation still has a few bones to pick with her family over their involvement in the conservatorship. MEGA “From every angle I was being hurt for no reason and my family was hurting me,” she stated in an Instagram post earlier this week. “They say go to the source for healing …. the person who hurt you … go to them and tell them … I’ve never gotten to do that. I wanted to be nice but what they did to my heart was unforgivable.” “I asked for 13 years to perform new songs and remixes of my old songs …. I had two months off in between each show settings for four years in Vegas … and every time I asked I was told ‘No…’ !!!!!” she explained. “It was a set up to make me fail yet I knew exactly what I wanted my fans to see.” BRITNEY SPEARS WAS AN ‘AMAZING MOM AND SUPER INVOLVED WITH HER KIDS’ AT ART EXHIBIT, FOUNDER SAYS She also insisted that her sister Jamie Lynn Spears was given remixes of Britney’s songs, but “the person who owns the music is told no.” MEGA She went on to say that her family wasted so much of her time “only to embarrass and humiliate” her, which is why she has no interest in producing music anymore. “I’m scared of people and the business,” she added. However, Britney’s fans are still hoping that she will make her return to the music world soon, especially after she previously hinted at having a new song in the works. “Pssss new song in the works … I’m gonna let you know what I mean !!!!!” she cryptically concluded in an Instagram post, as OK! previously reported. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) -Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe. “The only difficulty is that if you have so many cases, even if the rate of hospitalization is lower with Omicron than it is with Delta, there is still the danger that you will have a surging of hospitalizations that might stress the healthcare system,” Fauci said in an interview on Sunday with CNN. The Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of Dec. 25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The sudden arrival of Omicron has brought record-setting case counts to countries around the world and dampened New Year festivities around the world.. “There will certainly be a lot more cases because this is a much more transmissible virus than Delta is,” Fauci said on CNN. However, “It looks, in fact, that it (Omicron) might be less severe, at least from data that we’ve gathered from South Africa, from the UK and even some from preliminary data from here in the United States,” Fauci said. Fauci added that the CDC will soon be coming out with a clarification on whether people with COVID-19 should test negative to leave isolation, after confusion last week over guidance that would let people leave after five days without symptoms. The CDC had reduced the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic COVID to five days, down from 10. The policy does not require testing to confirm that a person is no longer infectious before they go back to work or socialize, causing some experts to raise questions. “You’re right. There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested. That is something that is now under consideration”, Fauci told ABC News in a separate interview on Sunday. “I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.” U.S. authorities registered at least 346,869 new coronavirus on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rose by at least 377 to 828,562. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Mark Porter) View the full article

=Buck SlipJohn Travolta’s Love life and not a single pronoun in referring to the gender of the love he seeks? But why? In any case we’re pleased to hear he’s coming out of his grief. It’s hard to believe that neither the magazine nor his family and friends used a single pronoun or reference to someone of a specific gender in this entire post (other than in reference to all the women he’s rejected, an army of them.). They must have heard the rumors and seen the photos…but no matter if it’s the magazine or those close to him trying to set the stage for something to happen… we’re glad to hear it and hope he finds a special someone to love for a long time. –Editor Published by OK Magazine MEGA Aiming high! John Travolta is heading into the new year vowing to be the healthiest he’s ever been, but a friend says he’s got an even bigger resolution for 2022 — finding love again. Since losing his wife,Kelly Preston, to breast cancer in 2020, “John has had a hard time with his grief,” shares the pal, “but he’s finally coming around and is taking better care of himself.” MEGA According to the friend, the Pulp Fiction star, 67, has been working out daily with a team of trainers, mixing it up between martial arts, cardio, and yoga. He is also paying attention to his diet by swapping out steak and potatoes for fish and smoothies. “John’s determined to live a long and happy life for his kids,” Ella, 21, and Benjamin, 11. JOHN TRAVOLTA ‘DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN TO HONOR’ LATE WIFE KELLY PRESTON WHILE ‘TAKING IMPORTANT STEPS TOWARD MOVING ON’: SOURCE “He’s really going the extra mile because he’s finally ready for the right person to come into his life,” adds the pal. “Everyone has noticed the positive change in John, and they’re so relieved. They’re crossing their fingers that he’ll find true love again, because he deserves it!” MEGA As OK! previously reported, the Grease alum has become more open to the idea of dipping his toes back into the dating pool since initially being hesitant to date following the tragic loss of his wife. Even though he first “turned down an army of interested women” while still grieving Preston’s death, he “slowly but surely” came around to the idea of finding love again. “John is starting to warm up to the idea of sharing his life with someone special,” a source claimed at the time. “Of course, he’s not going to rush into anything serious so soon, but going on a few dates and sharing a meal and conversation sounds good to him for now.” MEGA ELLA TRAVOLTA ENCOURAGES DAD JOHN TRAVOLTA TO ‘START LIVING LIFE IN FULL AGAIN’ FOLLOWING KELLY PRESTON’S DEATH, CLAIMS INSIDER Another insider insisted that Travolta and Preston previously discussed the topic during one of their final conversations, adding that Preston “lovingly gave John approval to find someone else.” “She told him she didn’t want him to go through life alone. She knew the kids would always be there for him, but she wanted to have a companion and she trusted him to use his judgement.” Travolta was reportedly “touched” by his wife’s words, and a source claimed “they came from the heart. She loved John that much and wanted him to continue living his life.” John Travolta Wants True Love on Towleroad ‘Incredible’: Trump supporters recall Capitol siege More Jan. 6 committee ‘looking into’ subpoenas for U.S. Republican lawmakers – chairman More U.S. Chief Justice says judges need ‘rigorous’ training on stock-trading rules More Ghislaine Maxwell Helped Kill Vanity Fair Exposé Of Her Sex Crimes, Newly Resurfaced Interview Reveals More Betty White, working actress into her 90s, dies just shy of her 100th birthday More Violence against women insults God, pope says in New Year’s message More North Korea’s Kim talks food not nukes for 2022 More Omicron dampens global New Year celebrations, fewer watch ball drop in Times Square More Steve Martin pays tribute to Betty White before 100th birthday and recalls first time meeting legend More Load More View the full article

Published by AFP Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington on January 6, 2021 Washington (AFP) – They descended upon Washington in the thousands, gathering to protest the result of a presidential election they still claim was “rigged.” The US Capitol came under attack, leaving the country wounded. One year after January 6, 2021, three participants recall the events of a day that shocked the world. ‘Euphoria’ “January 6 was incredible,” says Samson Racioppi, a 40-year-old Republican Party stalwart who rented several buses to drive people to Washington from his home state of Massachusetts. The day began with outgoing Republican president Donald Trump addressing a sea of supporters waving “Trump 2020” flags in the biting cold near the White House. Trump fired up the crowd with a defiant speech, repeating his false claims that he won the November election over Democrat Joe Biden. “I remember the actual feeling of that day of euphoria,” said Jim Wood, who came to Washington from New Hampshire. “Seeing all the people.” Before Trump finished speaking, Wood, who is in his 60s, headed towards the Capitol, where Congress was certifying Biden’s election victory. Thousands of others did the same and an enormous crowd quickly assembled around the brilliant white dome of the Capitol building. ‘Let’s go!’ “Then all of a sudden, you heard, I guess, from my remembrance, screams of, you know, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,'” said Glen Montfalcone, who also came to Washington from Massachusetts. “And then kind of anarchy started happening,” Montfalcone added. “People were pushing, pushing, pushing. ‘Go go, forge forward, forge forward,'” he said. “And so we all did, we all forged forward and just started entering into the area, and then up the stairs.” All three men insist they did not enter the Capitol itself. They could be risking prison if they admitted they did. Hundreds of people did swarm the building, however, including a tattooed, half-naked man wearing horns and a fur hat. One protestor was shot dead by police. The world watched live, aghast, as the citadel of American democracy came under assault. Wood said the televised images he saw broadcast the next day at breakfast were “demonizing” and that the vast majority of the protestors remained outside the Capitol. During the next few months, two competing narratives would arise. Trump supporters claim it was a peaceful protest against a “stolen” election. Police officers who fought with the mob, Democratic lawmakers and even some Republicans called it “terrorism.” FBI at the door In the wake of January 6, law enforcement launched a nationwide sweep for participants in the assault on the Capitol. Montfalcone has had FBI agents turn up at his door. Several friends have been arrested. At his law school, students unsuccessfully attempted to have Racioppi thrown out. In Washington, a House of Representatives committee is investigating what has been described as an insurrection or a coup attempt. The January 6 participants reject this characterization of the day. On the contrary, Racioppi says proudly, “this is something I’m going to tell my grandkids about.” He remains convinced, like many Republicans, that the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump, despite the absence of any credible evidence this occurred. The law student said January 6 was just a skirmish in an ongoing conflict. “We’re looking at it as if it’s a war, right?” Racioppi said. “And the war is the elections in November. “And leading up to that war, we’re going to create a series of battles,” he said. “We’re going to cause as much political damage to the left and the people who support tyranny as possible.” Would he do it again? “Of course I would do it again,” he said. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe (Reuters) – The congressional committee investigating last year’s Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is “looking into” issuing subpoenas to Republican members of Congress to force their cooperation, the panel’s chairman said on Sunday. Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that the committee is examining whether it can lawfully issue subpoenas to sitting members of Congress. “I think there are some questions of whether we have the authority to do it,” Thompson said, according to an interview transcript. “We’re looking at it. If the authorities are there, there’ll be no reluctance on our part.” Thompson is chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Jan. 6, which is expected to hold public hearings and issue reports in the coming months. The Select Committee is trying to establish then-President Donald Trump’s actions while thousands of his supporters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives. Congress had been meeting to count the electoral votes giving Democrat Joe Biden the victory in the November 2020 presidential election. Multiple people close to Trump, including conservative media TV hosts, urged him during the riot to make a televised speech telling his supporters to stop the attack. Trump waited hours before releasing a prerecorded message. The committee on Dec. 22 sent a letter to Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican and ardent Trump ally, asking for testimony about his telephone conversations with Trump on Jan. 6. Jordan said in a recent Fox News interview that he had “real concerns” about the committee’s credibility, but was reviewing its letter to him. The request comes two days after a similar letter to Republican Representative Scott Perry. The committee requested Perry’s testimony about Trump’s attempts to oust Jeffrey Rosen, who was acting head of the U.S. Justice Department during the closing weeks of his presidency, and replace him with Jeffrey Clark, an official at the time who tried to help Trump overturn his election defeat. Perry declined to cooperate, posting on Twitter that the committee “is illegitimate, and not duly constituted.” An appeals court ruled earlier in 2021 that the committee was legitimate and entitled to see White House records Trump has tried to shield from public view. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe in Boston; editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe (Reuters) – U.S. federal judges need “more rigorous” ethics training to ensure they are not hearing disputes in which they have a financial interest, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published on Friday, citing a recent Wall Street Journal investigation. The newspaper reported in September that 131 federal judges broke disqualification rules and the judicial ethics code by presiding over cases involving companies in which they or family members owned stock. In his annual report on the federal judiciary, Roberts said most judges scrupulously follow the rules, and the violations identified by the Wall Street Journal were mostly “isolated” and “unintentional” oversights caused by conflict-checking procedures failing to reveal a financial conflict. “But for those judges who had multiple violations, or professed ignorance of the ethics rule, there is a more serious problem of inadequate ethics training,” Roberts said in the report. Roberts said the federal judiciary’s policymaking body has already begun to enhance ethics training courses for judges to ensure they are aware of their obligations. “Collectively, our ethics training programs need to be more rigorous,” Roberts said. “That means more classtime, webinars, and consultations. But it also requires greater attention to promoting a culture of compliance, even when busy dockets keep judicial calendars full.” The House of Representatives on Dec. 1 voted 422-4 in favor of a bipartisan bill imposing more stringent public financial reporting requirements on federal district and appellate court judges. The Senate has not yet acted on a companion bill. The Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act, spurred by the Wall Street Journal’s investigation, would set a 45-day window for judges to report stock trades of more than $1,000 and also require the judiciary to post disclosure forms online. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article