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1. Coronavirus
2. Congress
Georgia’s Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has publicly backed dangerous and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, will face a vote in Parliament today on whether she should be removed from committee. Greene was charged with her marginal rhetoric, but retained Republican support in the House and avoided punishment. Meanwhile, some GOP members turned their attention to Rep. Liz Cheney, pushing to challenge her leadership because she voted in favor of prosecuting former President Trump. However, Cheney won the GOP House vote yesterday. It is important not to draw a false equivalence between the two: Cheney, the daughter of a former vice president, crossed the party line in a dismissal vote; Greene promotes QAnon conspiracies and has voiced support for the assassination of Democratic politicians.
3. Internal extremism
The Justice Department has now brought in more than 180 federal criminal cases against insurgents and others linked to the siege of the US Chapter. Prosecutors are investigating some of the stories of those involved, revealing at least one case of stolen bravery (when someone lies about military service or awards) and a New Mexico County official who said he wanted to return to invest President Biden with machine guns. Newly-created Homeland Security Secretary 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 2020 Homeland Security report. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin , ordered a phased halt to operations across the US military over the next 60 days, so that commanders could review how extremism could be managed among them.
4. Russia
The United States has extended a key nuclear weapons control treaty with Russia for the next five years. The new START Treaty – the only remaining regulation of the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals – was due to expire tomorrow. It allows verifiable limits for Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. Biden made treaty renewal a priority once he was in office, just as he launched a review of Russian crime, from the SolarWinds hack to Moscow’s alleged rewards for killing American troops in Afghanistan. The treaty is one of the many delicate issues the US will have to work with Russia on, including efforts to sanction North Korea and ensure stability in Afghanistan.
5. Taiwan
The United States today sent a guided missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait, marking the first time an American warship 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 challenges that threaten stability in the region by encouraging supporters of Taiwanese independence. The Trump administration has made strong gestures of support for Taiwan, including selling weapons and sending high-level envoys to the region.
ANSWER TO BREAKFAST
The roller-track record will run over 155 mph
Let us know and come back in a few hours.
Peeps will return for Easter after a 9-month break
Ah, a little sweet normalcy in these difficult times.
Archaeologists are discovering Egyptian mummies with golden tongues
Put them back! That’s how horror movies start!
Ford receives a patent for a clear respirator
But we like to never show our faces …
Listener follows the conversations of other monkeys and judges whether they want to interact
Today I learned that pots are RELATIVES.
PROFILES IN PERSEVERANCE
February is Black History Month, and every day we highlight black pioneers in American history. Find out more here.
James Armistead Lafayette, spy, c 1748-c 1830
Armistead provided essential information that helped defeat the British and end the Revolutionary War. Initially a slave, he worked as a double agent under 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, released Armistead in 1787.
TODAY’S NUMBER
125,000
There are so many refugees, President Biden has pledged to allow them to the United States every year. The plan is to set this ceiling in October to start in the next fiscal year. Until then, Biden is expected to make an intermediate increase in the current ceiling set by the Trump administration, which amounts to 15,000.
TODAY’S PRESENT
“I put too much confidence in assuming that everything would come back to me as ‘second nature.'”
An anonymous pilot, in a June report, explaining why he neglected to activate the critical anti-freeze system. The pandemic means that pilots fly less and many say it rusts their skills.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check the local forecast here >>>
AND FINALLY
You missed a place!
This polite seal is here to remind you to keep your surfaces clean! (Click here to view.)