News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Two Suspects Identified In Last Night’s Downtown Seattle Mass Shooting
Last night’s shooting near the corner of Third Avenue and Pine Street left one woman dead and seven others injured, including a 9-year-old boy, after two men allegedly opened fire at around 5 p.m.
The two men were allegedly in argument Wednesday evening and then began shooting at each other, according to witness accounts given to SPD, striking bystanders in the process.
The shooting sent evening commuters rushing into the nearby Westlake light rail station and surrounding businesses.
SPD is asking the public to call 911 if they see either of the suspects or know where men currently are.
Wendy’s manager in Pennsylvania arrested after allegedly shooting teen in shoulder
(Cheltenham Township Police)
A manager, 29-year-old Rico Drayton, is accused of shooting at a group of teens as they ran away from the fast-food chain location, and injuring one of them.
A fight involving several teenagers broke out in the kitchen before spilling into the parking lot, 6 ABC reported.
As the teenagers were running away, Drayton allegedly fired a handgun at the group, striking one of the teens in the shoulder. Customers were present in the restaurant’s dining room at the time.
FBI offers $10,000 reward for information leading to arrest of alleged killer dad
The feds believe Rico-Ruvira is “involved” with the 27-year-old woman’s death, according to the agency’s press release issued on Wednesday.
The couple had a history of domestic violence where Rico-Ruvira was charged in October 2019 with aggravated battery against a household member for allegedly choking her.
Authorities believe Rico-Ruvira may be driving a maroon, four-door, 2003 GMC Yukon with New Mexico license plate MNF-231 and is heading to Mexico, where he has ties to the areas of Zacatecas and Jalisco, the FBI said.
Anyone with information on Rico-Ruvira’s whereabouts is asked to immediately contact the FBI, (505) 889-1300, Roswell Police Department, (575) 624-6770 or the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse 1-800-457-3463.
California restaurants’ climate change ‘surcharge’ could quickly raise $10M, group says
Some restaurants in the state have implemented an optional 1 percent surcharge onto customers’ bills this month as part of an ongoing effort to fight climate change.
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has already implemented the surcharge, per SFGATE, and restaurants Atelier Crenn, Benu and Chez Panisse have opted in.
Customers, so far, have lukewarm reactions: “You’re kidding right?” one Twitter user wrote. “Not like California is already the highest taxed state in the country,” another complained. California’s sales tax is 7.25 percent.
Update On The Wall: 100 miles complete!
We met up with the acting Secretary of Homeland Security at the 100 mile marker of Trump’s new wall to get an update on how he is securing the Border.
Ex-Maryland cop accused of raping woman he pulled over in traffic stop is HIV positive: police
Martique Vanderpool, 30, of Capitol Heights, Md., is charged with 11 counts, including first-degree rape, reckless endangerment, misconduct in office and knowingly attempting to expose someone to HIV, officials said.
He previously worked for the Fairmount Heights (Maryland) Police Department in Prince George’s County before resigning in November.
A two-month-long investigation revealed Vanderpool and another officer pulled a woman over around 11:20 p.m. on Sept. 6. for a traffic violation. She did not have a license with her, so the officers said her car would be impounded,
First openly bisexual contestant to compete in Miss USA pageant
Slawson’s presence on the Miss USA stage adds to a recent increase in LGBTQ representation within the pageant world:
In 2016, Erin O’Flaherty, crowned Miss Missouri, became the first openly gay contestant to compete in the Miss America pageant.
Then, in the 2019 Miss Universe pageant, Swe Zin Htet became the first openly gay contestant to compete, made especially notable by the fact that homosexuality is illegal in her home country of Myanmar.
Politics:
Democracy 2020 Digest: Buttigieg teams up with Charlamagne tha God
The former South Bend, Ind., mayor teams up in the evening with Lenard McKelvey, better known as Charlamagne tha God, co-host of the popular nationally syndicated morning radio show “The Breakfast Club,” which has become a must-stop this cycle.
The two will hold a community conversation on criminal justice reform in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, McKelvey’s hometown.
Buttigieg’s struggles to resonate with black voters – who make a majority of the electorate in South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary – have been well documented in the media.
Oklahoma governor bans state-funded travel to California after being put on Golden State’s blacklist
Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is in his first term, announced the ban in an executive order on Thursday, barring all non-essential travel by state employees to the Golden State, with exceptions for business recruiting trips, college sports games and trips by schools to participate in out-of-state programs.
“Enough is enough,” Stitt said. “If California’s elected officials don’t want public employees traveling to Oklahoma, I am eager to return the gesture on behalf of Oklahoma’s pro-life stance.”
Stitt’s executive order came as a response to similar travel bans imposed by California.
Oklahoma was added to California’s travel ban in 2018 after passing a law that allows adoption agencies to deny placement services to same-sex parents.
Carter Page FISA warrant lacked probable cause, declassified DOJ assessment finds
The DOJ’s determination essentially means that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant authorizations to surveil Page, when stripped of the FBI’s misinformation, did not meet the necessary legal threshold and should never have been issued.
The revelations were yet another embarrassment for the FBI, which DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz has found made repeated errors and misrepresentations — and, in one case, deliberately falsified evidence — before the FISC as the bureau sought to surveil Page in 2016 and 2017.
The June 2017 Page FISA warrant renewal, which was among the two deemed invalid by the DOJ, was approved by then-Acting FBI Director (and now CNN contributor) Andrew McCabe, as well as former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Gabbard’s Important Statement: It’s Not Ok for Hillary Clinton to Get Away w/ Defamation • Lou Dobbs
Commentary/Opinion: Tammy Bruce, president of Independent Women’s Voice, joins Lou Dobbs on Fox Business Network to weigh in on Rep. Tulsi Gabbard suing Hillary Clinton for defamation over “Russian Asset” comments and the rippling damage for Democrats.
Joe Biden Edges Further Left On Immigration Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses
Commentary/Opinion: Reaction and analysis from Washington Examiner’s Alana Goodman on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Emails Expose What Obama Administration Knew About Bidens And Burisma
Commentary/Opinion: What did alleged whistleblower know about Bidens and Burissma? Laura Ingraham.
“Whistleblower” and Schiff staffer allegedly overheard in ’17 discussing how to remove Trump: Real Clear Investigations
The coordination between the official believed to be the whistleblower and a key Democratic staffer, details of which are disclosed here for the first time, undercuts the narrative that impeachment developed spontaneously out of the “patriotism” of an “apolitical civil servant.”
Two former co-workers said they overheard Ciaramella and Misko, close friends and Democrats held over from the Obama administration, discussing how to “take out,” or remove, the new president from office within days of Trump’s inauguration.
These co-workers said the president’s controversial Ukraine phone call in July 2019 provided the pretext they and their Democratic allies had been looking for.
“They didn’t like his policies,” another former White House official said. “They had a political vendetta against him from Day One.”
Impeachment backfire? Key GOP senator ‘offended’ by Nadler charge, as trial tests patience and stamina
The first sign of a backlash among that critical group came Wednesday when Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a moderate member of the conference, said she was offended by House manager Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s assertion that GOP members voting against allowing new testimony and evidence were engaged in a “cover-up.”
“I took it as offensive,” she told reporters Wednesday. “As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended.”
But Murkowski is not alone—Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Wednesday said Democrats “took a huge step backward” in their opening.
Bernie Sanders Campaign Calls The Police On Project Veritas Action Journalists
The same campaign that hasn’t disavowed Kyle Jurek’s comments about “beating police” in the streets at the DNC just called the cops on journalists asking questions.
Officer: ‘They said they are going to have no comment.
If you try to make contact with them it’s no comment…it’s one of those things where they wish he hadn’t said that, but they’re standing by him’.
Virginia Senate passes bill to let transgender people get new birth certificates
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The bill requires proof from a health care provider that the individual went through “clinically appropriate treatment for gender transition.”
The assessment and treatment, according to Boysko’s office, is up to the medical provider. There is not a specific standard approach for an individual’s transition.
Treatment could include any of the following: counseling, hormone therapy, sex reassignment surgery, or a patient-specific approach from the medical provider.
This is the third year that Boysko has introduced the bill. Neither bill made it out of subcommittee in previous years, but Boysko believes the bill has a better chance of becoming law this year.
World News:
Britain’s Brexit bill becomes law
The Withdrawal Agreement Act removes the last U.K. obstacle to the country leaving the European Union (EU) in just over a week.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans’ announcement that the queen had signed off on the law drew cheers of “Hear! Hear!” from some Conservative lawmakers.
The EU Parliament must ratify the Brexit divorce deal before Jan. 31, Britain’s scheduled departure date.
The EU Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee voted by a large margin Thursday to approve the Brexit withdrawal deal, preparing the way for a vote of all European lawmakers in Brussels on Wednesday.
Chinese city ‘orders workers to build a dedicated coronavirus hospital in SIX DAYS’ in a desperate bid to tackle the deadly outbreak
Dr Guan Yi, director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, confessed to Chinese media that the situation in Wuhan – where the virus originated – was already ‘uncontrollable’.
He also claimed that the Chinese authorities missed the ‘golden period’ to control the virus and prevent it from spreading.
‘I have experienced so much and never felt scared.
Most [viruses] are controllable, but this time I am scared,’ Dr Guan told the press, predicting the worst is yet to come.
UK police release graphic bodycam video of man’s ‘savage’ machete attack on officer
Muhammad Rodwan, 56, claimed he was acting in self-defense when he repeatedly slashed 29-year-old PC Stuart Outten with the 19-inch blade just after midnight on Aug. 8, the Metropolitan Police said in a news release.
Police described the attack as “savage.”
Outten, who had been on the police force for just over a decade, suffered multiple injuries, including lacerations and fractures to his head and hands, and was rushed to a hospital.
He discharged his Taser in time to prevent fatal injuries, police said.
NATO Secretary General Reaffirms Trump Is Making Alliance ‘Stronger’
Appearing Thursday on the Fox Business Network, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed that President Donald Trump is making the military alliance “stronger.”
Trump Administration Announces Visa Restrictions for Pregnant Women
The new rule “establishes that travel to the United States with the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States is an impermissible basis for the issuance of a B nonimmigrant visa,” or a tourism or business visa, the State Department said in an announcement.
“The Department does not believe that visiting the United States for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child, by giving birth in the United States—an activity commonly referred to as ‘birth tourism’—is a legitimate activity for pleasure or of a recreational nature, for purposes of consular officers adjudicating applications for B nonimmigrant visas.”
Consular officers will be instructed to deny visas to women they think are traveling to the United States primarily to give birth.
Revolting footage shows Chinese woman eating a whole bat at a fancy restaurant as scientists link the deadly coronavirus to the flying mammals
A leading Chinese virologist who helped tackle the SARS epidemic in Asia in 2003 has warned that a new strain of deadly coronavirus from China could lead to an outbreak at least 10 times worse than the health crisis 17 years ago.
Bats are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a series of illnesses, including coughing, Malaria and Gonorrhea.
The animal’s faeces is also believed to be able to cure eye diseases, according to ancient Chinese medical masterpiece Ben Cao Gang Mu.
Official figures show almost 600 patients have been struck down by the disease – but scientists yesterday warned as many as 10,000 people could have been infected in Wuhan alone.
Experts said they couldn’t rule out the SARS-like virus already being in the UK.
Others have said no virus has spread this far this quickly since SARS in 2003.
World Airports Taking Precautions After China Virus Outbreak
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, announced on Jan. 23 that, following government guidance, all passengers arriving on direct flights from China will receive thermal screening at the gate upon arrival and be provided with informational brochures.
The screening will be conducted at secured, closed gates by teams from the Dubai Health Authority and the Airport Medical Center, Dubai Airports said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
British authorities said passengers arriving from China to Heathrow Airport in London, Europe’s busiest, and other airports were not being screened but that they were being given information leaflets on what to do if they fall ill.
World leaders attend anti-Semitism, Holocaust forum in Jerusalem
The forum, considered the largest event dedicated to remembering the Holocaust and condemning the recent spike in anti-Jewish violence worldwide, is slated to take place ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp on Monday.
“Anti-Semitism does not stop with the Jews,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said in an opening speech.
“Anti-Semitism and racism are a malignant disease that destroyed and takes apart societies from within and no democracy is immune.”
The presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria and representatives from Canada and Australia were also present. Meanwhile, the president of Poland boycotted the event after he was not invited to speak.
Commentary/Opinion:
Voter Fraud: Exposing Fraud & Closing Loopholes—Adrian Norman | American Thought Leaders
Just how big an issue is voter fraud in America? And how does it happen, despite the safeguards?
What exactly are “ghost voters”? And how does ballot harvesting actually work?
And, in the eyes of Adrian Norman, what policies need to be put in place to ensure free and fair elections in America?
In this episode, we’ll sit down with Adrian Norman, a political commentator and opinion contributor for The Epoch Times, to discuss loopholes in the system that create major opportunities for voter fraud. His new book is titled “The Art of the Steal: Exposing Fraud & Vulnerabilities in America’s Elections.”
Comedian: Being Taught That Republicans Are Evil (Pt. 2) | Bridget Phetasy | COMEDY | Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Bridget Phetasy (comedian) about self censorship, being raised to think Republicans were evil, big tech and much more. Bridget Phetasy is a writer and comedian.
She has a comedy commentary show on Youtube called “Dumpster Fire” and she is also the host of the “Walk-Ins Welcome” podcast.
Her writing appears in a variety of places such as Tonic, the Federalist, MEL Magazine, and the Spectator. Bridget gives her thoughts on what she calls our “factory settings”.
These being the beliefs or viewpoints that we are raised with.
In her case she was raised to think that all Republicans were evil and only cared about money, whereas Democrats were the “good guys”.
She shares her concerns about cancel culture and why certain comedians like Ricky Gervais and Dave Chapelle are cancel proof.