News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Stimulus checks and your 2020 taxes: All of your questions, answered
Taxes played a major role in how the government distributed the money: The first check, worth as much as $1,200, was based on either your 2018 or 2019 tax return, while the second check, worth up to $600, was based on your 2019 return.
But in some instances, Americans either didn’t receive the stimulus check, or didn’t receive the full amount they were entitled to, given instances like job losses or the birth of a child.
Here’s everything you need to know about your taxes and the stimulus checks:
Report: Car Theft In Chicago On The Rise
If the trend continues, the city will likely reach a record two thousand incidents by the end of the year. So far the department has arrested 104 suspects, their reported motives have included joyriding and using the stolen vehicle to commit various other crimes.
Deenihan explained carjackers often work in groups of three or four, which means officers are searching not only for the person who stole the car, but a number of other people who aided in the theft.
A fourth person has now been charged with the murder of a 65-year-old retired Chicago fire lieutenant, which happened during an attempted carjacking on December 3.
Crime spikes in Salt Lake City as police department ends hiring freeze
“We’re not asking to increase the budget of the police department,” said Councilmember Chris Wharton during Tuesday’s meeting. “We’re asking to give the same level of service that we were offering back in June.”
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said there will be 57 open SLCPD positions by the end of January.
The need for more officers comes at a time when crime is on the rise and personnel numbers are declining, according to the report.
WaPo edits 2019 profile of Kamala Harris, removes joke she made about prisoner begging for water
(Patrick Smith/Getty)
Pressed by the libertarian publication Reason on the stealth-edit, paper spokeswoman Kris Coratti responded:
“We should have kept both versions of the story on the Post’s site (the original and updated one), rather than redirecting to the updated version. We have now done that, and you will see the link to the original at the top of the updated version.”
Explaining the reason behind the removal of Harris’s starving prisoner joke, another paper spokeswoman told Reason that the Post “repurposed and updated some of our strong biographical pieces” on both Harris and Biden prior to their inauguration earlier this week.
Yale Students Want to Repeal the Constitution
The U.S. Constitution guarantees basic rights and freedoms to citizens, yet how many Yale students think repealing it is a great idea?
Ami Horowitz heads to Yale University, where future thought leaders of America study, to investigate this crisis of civic education.
Twitter Suspends Antifa Accounts Following Unrest
Among those reportedly suspended, one linked to an extremist bookstore in Brooklyn, New York that allegedly also operated as a training center for Antifa members.
Twitter is cracking down on well known Antifa accounts following numerous riots on Inauguration Day. According to reports Friday, at least four accounts were suspended.
The move follows numerous Antifa-led riots in recent months, including a highly destructive one in Seattle on Inauguration Day.
President Trump Offers Troops Stays at Trump Hotel After Democrats Banish National Guard to Parking Garage
The Guardsmen, who had been resting inside the Capitol between 12-hour shifts, were moved to a nearby parking garage where photos obtained by Politico and other outlets showed members crowded together on the ground — some resting their heads against cement pillars.
By Thursday evening, Abbott was among those who had apparently seen enough.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., tweeted, “This is absolutely unacceptable and despicable treatment of our brave and dedicated National Guard who answered the call to serve. We need to demand answers now and this needs to be fixed immediately.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., called the treatment of Guard members, “outrageous, shameful, and incredibly disrespectful.”
Politics:
Rubio Demands DHS Explain Deportation Freeze
Rubio calls for immediate clarification on a directive issued this week mandating “an immediate pause on removals of any noncitizen with a final order of removal,” in a letter sent Friday to David Pekoske, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Rather than deporting illegal immigrants, DHS said on Wednesday it will focus on processing immigrants along the Southern border and rebuilding “fair and effective asylum procedures that respect human rights and due process.”
This also includes “a review of policies and practices concerning immigration enforcement.”
Rubio says that the broad directive will pave the way for illegal immigrants scheduled for deportation to remain on extended stays in the United States. The policy shift, Rubio says, raises concerns about how the new administration will address the persistent border crisis.
Planned Parenthood Prepares for Payday Under Biden
The organization lost $60 million in 2019 alone after withdrawing from the Title X Family Planning Program, which uses taxpayer funds for contraceptive services to low-income individuals.
When the Trump administration changed the policy to exclude any organization that participates in abortion, Planned Parenthood withdrew from the program.
Despite the revenue drop and the subsequent financial struggles of local affiliates, Planned Parenthood spent more than $27.4 million through a main super PAC during the 2020 election cycle.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said the nation’s top abortion provider is eager for its “partnership” with the new administration.
Sen. McConnell Seeks To Delay President Trump’s Impeachment Trial To Mid-February
According to Indiana Sen. Mike Braun (R), McConnell would like to give President Trump the same amount of time given in the first impeachment trial to prepare.
This means proceedings would likely take place the second week of February.
McConnell said he shared his proposal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but has yet to hear back.
Biden’s Opening Approval Rating Below That of Trump and Obama: Poll
The Jan. 22 poll showed that 48 percent of likely U.S. voters approved of Biden’s job performance, while 45 percent disapproved. Rasmussen is the only national pollster tracking the presidential approval rating on a daily basis.
Going deeper, 36 percent strongly approved of the job Biden was doing, and 38 percent strongly disapproved, according to Rasmussen.
When President Donald Trump started his term on Jan. 20, 2017, his approval rating was at 56 percent, according to an archive of Rasmussen’s previous daily polling history. On that day, 44 percent disapproved of the job Trump was doing.
D.C. mayor predicts Democrat-led Congress will soon pass D.C. statehood to Biden’s desk
Biden expressed support for statehood during the presidential campaign but hasn’t said recently whether he would sign it into law.
“I have supported statehood for 36 years,” Biden said during a campaign stop.
“It is going to be reintroduced in the Senate in a couple of weeks, and we expect to have a favorable vote in the Senate as well and then it goes to the president of the United States.
We have made a big focus to President Biden to support D.C. statehood and make it part of his 100 day agenda,” she added.
Dennis Prager: To save America from left’s destruction, take your kids out of public school
Commentary/Opinion:
Conservative Dennis Prager said Friday that President Joe Biden has built his political career on standing for “whatever works at that moment” and demonstrated that his first day in office by disbanding former President Trump’s 1776 Commission.
“The left is primarily concerned with deconstructing the United States of America. And apparently he’s quite willing.
There’s a 50/50 chance that if you send your kid to elementary school, high school and college, they will come out holding you in contempt. If you’re prepared to lose your child, keep your kid in school.”
Biden tax policy will ‘absolutely’ drive business out of US: Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist discusses the effects President Biden’s economic plans could have on businesses and families.
Rep. Boebert Introduces House Bill to Stop US Funding of WHO
The bill (H.R.374), named the World Health Organization Accountability Act, would prohibit U.S. federal funds from being appropriated or made available to the WHO or any WHO activities, until the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services jointly submit a report to Congress.
Boebert said in a statement: “The WHO is China-centric and panders to Beijing at every turn.
There is no reason U.S. taxpayers should contribute more than $400 million annually to an organization that covered for China and failed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Senate Confirms Biden’s Pick for Pentagon Chief
Ahead of the Senate confirmation vote, Austin had to clear the hurdle of getting a Congressional waiver that would let him bypass a law barring retired active-duty officers from serving in the top Pentagon job within seven years, a rule meant to safeguard civilian control of the U.S. armed forces.
Lawmakers fast-tracked the waiver Thursday, with the House approving it in a vote of 326 to 78, later followed by 69 senators voting to grant it while 27 objected.
Austin praised the Trump administration’s efforts to advance peace in the Middle East, calling the Abraham Accords that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab countries a “good thing.”
“I think certainly this has put a bit more pressure on Iran and I hope it will have good effects,” he said.
Bill O’Reilly: Obama & The New York Times are running Biden’s White House
Commentary/Opinion:
Bill O’Reilly tells Glenn the only thing Joe and Jill Biden care about right now is approval from the media — namely, approval from the New York Times & Washington Post.
AND, with Susan Rice recently picked for Biden’s White House team, O’Reilly says it’s clear President Obama is the one “running the country,” not Joe.
BUT, he explains, this actually might be a good thing for Americans hoping for a return to our nation’s more traditional values.
Did Nancy Pelosi Make A HUGE Mistake?
Commentary/Opinion:
Did Nancy Pelosi make a huge mistake by impeaching Donald Trump?
Here’s the Simple Truth.
World News:
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Iraq Suicide Attacks Killing at Least 32
The organization said it was behind the attack, according to a statement posted on the group’s Telegram channel, as reported by the Reuters news agency. The SITE Intelligence Group also confirmed ISIS’s statement on the app.
Authorities told Reuters that two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad marketplace in a sign that some experts have said is a sign of the reactivation of ISIS after several years.
A fruit vendor, Abbas Abdulkareem, told NPR: “We were shocked … because for some time there have been no explosions. The situation was safe, and people were optimistic.”
Google Threatens to Remove Search Engine in Australia Over Proposed Law
The Australian law proposed last year stipulates that media companies will be able to request payments from Google and Facebook for news articles that are posted there.
Facebook and Google have argued that some publishers can benefit from their links being posted to their platforms.
However, the two companies have received criticism for their moves to censor or diminish the reach of certain users, news publishers, and websites.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in response to Google, said that “Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia.”
“People who want to work with that in Australia, you’re very welcome. But we don’t respond to threats,” he said to reporters Friday.
IAF allegedly bombs Iranian-militias in Syria; Turkey-EU hope to improve ties -TV7 Israel News 22.01
1) Iranian proxy’ targets in Syria have been reportedly struck by unidentified aircraft – in a fifth such bombardment attributed to the Israeli air force in the last month.
2) A fragile cease-fire in the northwestern Idlib governorate, which has been implemented following an agreement between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 5th of last year – is evidently faced with increased challenges.
3) EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hold a meeting in Brussels to discuss an aspired “improvement of relations.”
Commentary/Opinion:
Debunking 5 Socialist Myths
According to Gallup, a majority of young Americans would choose socialism over capitalism for the future of the country.
This is a dangerous trend considering socialism creates poverty, hunger, inequality, oppression and corruption, and the failed policies lead to a violent police state and dictatorship.
YAAS understands the combination of classical liberalism and capitalism is the best way to fight poverty, being equality, empower Americans of all backgrounds and classes, and ensure justice is achievable in any case of wrong doing.