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1. Coronavirus
2. Congress
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican of Georgia, who has publicly announced dangerous and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, will face a vote in the House today on whether she should be stripped of committee duties. Greene has been in charge of his marginal rhetoric, but has maintained the support of House Republicans and avoided punishment. Meanwhile, some members of the Republican Party have turned their attention to Rep. Liz Cheney, who have tried to challenge her leadership role because she voted to oust former President Trump. However, Cheney prevailed yesterday in a GOP House vote. It is important not to establish a false equivalence between the two: Cheney, daughter of a former vice president, crossed the party lines in a dismissal vote; Greene promotes QAnon conspiracies and expressed support for the assassination of Democratic politicians.
3. Domestic extremism
The Department of Justice has filed more than 180 federal criminal cases against riot police and others related to the siege of the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors are delving into some of the stories of those involved, uncovering at least one case of stolen value (when someone lies about military service or awards) and a New Mexico County official who said he wanted to return to the inauguration. of President Biden with guns in his car. Newly created Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says the type of domestic terrorism seen at the Capitol is “one of the biggest threats” to the United States right now, echoing the findings of a National Security report of 2020. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a staggered pause in operations across the U.S. military over the next 60 days so that commanders can review the handling of extremism among their ranks.
4. Russia
The United States has extended a key nuclear weapons control treaty with Russia over the next five years. The new START treaty, the only one left to regulate the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, was due to expire tomorrow. It allows verifiable limits of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, ballistic missiles launched by submarines and heavy bombers. Biden made treaty renewal a priority once he was in office, even when he launched a review of Russian misdeeds ranging from SolarWinds piracy to the alleged rewards Moscow offered for the deaths of troops. Americans in Afghanistan. The treaty is one of the delicate issues the U.S. will have to work on with Russia, including efforts to sanction North Korea and ensure stability in Afghanistan.
5. Taiwan
The United States today sent a guided missile destroyer across the Taiwan Strait, marking the first time an American warship has crossed the waterway separating China and Taiwan during the Biden administration. Taiwan will be another major foreign policy challenge for Biden. Taiwan is a self-governing island, but Beijing claims full sovereignty over it and is extremely sensitive when it comes to demonstrations of power in the area. Warships, for example, are seen by Beijing as provocations that threaten stability in the region by encouraging supporters of Taiwanese independence. The Trump administration made strong gestures of support to Taiwan, including the sale of weapons and the sending of high-level envoys to the region.
EXPLORE BREAKFAST
Roller coasters with a track record will travel more than 155 mph
Just connect us and come back in a few hours.
Peeps will return for Easter after a nine-month hiatus
Oh, a little sugary normalcy in these difficult times.
Archaeologists unearth Egyptian mummies with golden tongues
Put them back on! This is how horror movies start!
Ford receives the patent for a clear respirator mask
But we like to never show the bottom of the face …
Listening tits understand the conversations of other monkeys and judge if they want to interact
Today we learned that tits are RUDE.
PERSEVERANCE PROFILES
February is the month of black history and every day we highlight the pioneers of black in American history. More information here.
James Armistead Lafayette, spy, c 1748-c 1830
Armistead provided crucial intelligence that helped defeat the British and end the war of the revolution. Originally a slave, he worked as a double agent with Lafayette, the French general who helped American settlers fight for their freedom (Armistead added his last name to honor him). Virginia lawmakers, after lobbying Lafayette, granted Armistead his freedom in 1787.
TODAY’S ISSUE
125,000
It is the number of refugees that President Biden has pledged to allow annually in the US. The plan is to set that limit in October to begin the next fiscal year. Until then, Biden is expected to make an intermediate increase in the current limit set by the Trump administration, which stands at 15,000.
TODAY’S BUDGET
“I relied too much on assuming that everything would come back to me as ‘second nature.'”
An anonymous pilot, in a June report, explained why he neglected to turn on the critical antifreeze system. The pandemic means pilots want less and many say it is ruining their skills.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check out the local forecast here >>>
AND FINALLY
You missed a place!
This polite stamp is here to remind you that you need to keep surfaces clean. (Click here to see it.)