January 22, 2021

"Accomplished" geophysicist was the guy dragging cop down stairs, put baton against officer's neck

A geophysicist from Colorado allegedly dragged a police officer down a set of stairs during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — and then bought a plane ticket to Switzerland and attempted suicide in Westchester County in the days after the siege, it was revealed in court Friday.

Jeffrey Sabol, 51, was ordered held without bail at his initial court appearance in White Plains federal court, where a judge called the evidence against him “very disturbing and deeply troubling.”

“That conduct is beyond the pale,” Judge Andrew Krause said.

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Images also show Sabol holding a police baton against an officer’s neck during the siege, Assistant US Attorney Ben Gianforte said at the court proceeding Friday.

Prosecutors believe Sabol wrested the club away from another officer in the melee, which may result in additional charges being filed against him.

https://nypost.com/2021/01/22/another-suspected-capitol-rioter-surrenders-to-fbi-in-ny/

Sabol’s federal defender, who asked that he be released on a $200,000 bond, told Krause that Sabol spent a week in a psychiatric center receiving treatment after the riot.

Sabol’s lawyer also said the defendant is now stable.

The lawyer said Sabol’s work history is “second to none,” and that his most recent job was removing unexploded ordnance from federal land for a Colorado environmental company.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/22/capitol-riots-man-admits-dragging-cop-to-be-beaten-by-flag-pole.html

January 22, 2021

Futuristic sleeping pods for homeless people installed in German city

Futuristic sleeping pods for homeless people installed in German city
Tests are underway to if the pods protect against frostbite. If so, they could be rolled out across Germany

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/homeless-sleeping-pods-germany-ulm-b1791217.html



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Windproof and waterproof sleep pods have been installed in the streets of a German city in order to house the homeless.

The wood and steel cabins, which can fit up to two people, protect against the cold, wind, and humidity. They also guarantee fresh air circulation.

The pods were introduced to the city of Ulm, 75 miles west of Munich, on 8 January in parks and at other places where homeless people sleep, a city spokesman said.


To ensure privacy, there are no cameras in the pods, but the opening of the doors triggers a motion sensor which alerts social workers who check the pod following its use to ensure that it can be cleaned, and also to provide assistance to anyone using the unique form of accommodation.

The capsules are also equipped with solar panels, and are connected to a radio network, allowing occupants to communicate without dependency of mobile networks.

January 22, 2021

Fauci says US will drop anti-abortion rule for foreign aid

https://nypost.com/2021/01/22/fauci-says-us-will-drop-anti-abortion-rule-for-foreign-aid/

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the Biden administration will abandon former President Trump’s policy of banning US foreign aid from going to international organizations that promote or perform abortions.

The infectious disease expert, serving as President Biden’s chief medical adviser, announced the move Thursday on the eve of the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

On Friday, the White House doubled down on its commitment to ensuring access to abortions.

A statement attributed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said: “In the past four years, reproductive health, including the right to choose, has been under relentless and extreme attack. We are deeply committed to making sure everyone has access to care – including reproductive health care – regardless of income, race, zip code, health insurance status, or immigration status.”

January 22, 2021

my favorite video of Trump

https://twitter.com/Sabrina_McDa/status/1351910831378866184

January 22, 2021

diet coke summoning button removed from presidential desk

He first unveiled the button during an interview with the Associated Press in 2017, showing reporters that with one push, a White House butler would immediately bring him a glass of soda on a silver tray.

However, the notorious Coke-summoning device now seems to have been ousted from the White House, along with Trump himself, amid a new dawn on Capitol Hill.



Now you see it: The infamous Diet Coke-summoning device is seen next to Trump's phone and is encased by a wooden box



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9174029/President-Biden-removes-button-Trump-used-order-Diet-Cokes-Oval-Office-desk.html

January 21, 2021

Trump's business was crashing even before the Capitol riot made his brand toxic

Donald Trump's businesses generated nearly 40% less revenue last year as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the hotel industry, putting the former president under financial pressure even before corporate partners and banks ditched him in the wake of the insurrection at the US Capitol.

Posted on Wednesday as he left the White House, Trump's final financial disclosure as president reveals a steep decline in revenue at some of his marquee properties in 2020 and the first 20 days of this year. Sales at the Trump International Hotel Washington plummeted by 63% compared with 2019 to $15.1 million, while revenue fell 62% to $9.8 million at Scottish golf resort Turnberry.

Revenue at one of the former president's biggest businesses, the Trump National Doral golf resort near Miami, declined to $44.2 million from $77.2 million in 2019. Trump has mortgages on the property totaling between $55 million and $75 million, according to the document. The loans from Deutsche Bank mature in 2023.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/business/trump-business-hotels-pandemic/index.html

January 21, 2021

newspaper front pages from around the world

more at the link

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9172109/How-newspapers-reacted-President-Joe-Biden-sworn-in.html

January 21, 2021

Time Magazine cover

January 21, 2021

Fauci announced that USA is rejoining the World Health Org

January 21, 2021

Fox host Judge Jeanine lobbied for pardon for her ex-husband. it worked

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judge-jeanine-lobbied-trump-during-his-last-few-hours-in-office-to-pardon-her-ex-husband-it-worked/ar-BB1cWnKs?fbclid=IwAR2631HHQiH8YK1_MCBLt_J_E36JUaa4xLhUZEZGjqOUg80MVC0LXVzs9L4

Fox News host Judge Jeanine successfully lobbied former President Donald Trump in an eleventh-hour effort to pardon her ex-husband in the final hours of Trump's presidency, CNN has learned.

Judge Jeanine lobbied Trump during his last few hours in office to pardon her ex-husband. It worked.

Fox News host Judge Jeanine successfully lobbied former President Donald Trump in an eleventh-hour effort to pardon her ex-husband in the final hours of Trump's presidency, CNN has learned.

Pirro was upset that her ex-husband Albert J. Pirro Jr. wasn't on Trump's final pardon list that came out early Wednesday morning, and that message was conveyed to the White House and its former resident, according to a former White House adviser. Albert Pirro was convicted on conspiracy and tax evasion charges after improperly deducting $1.2 million of his personal expenses in business write-offs.

A separate source familiar with the matter tells CNN that Albert Pirro was not on the pardon radar before Wednesday morning. It wasn't until midmorning that day that aides, who were in the middle of off-boarding their duties to the new administration, were told it needed to be done.

The order came as a total surprise and had aides scrambling to make it happen before the noon ET deadline, when Trump's term came to an end.

Minutes after Trump landed in Florida following his final flight aboard Air Force One from Washington, now-former deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere released a statement announcing that "Today, President Donald J. Trump granted a full pardon to Albert J. Pirro, Jr."