Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

What has and hasn't changed as Biden takes over U.S. foreign policy
Axios | Dave Lawler | 01/22/21

President Biden swiftly recommitted the U.S. to the Paris climate pact and the World Health Organization, but America's broader foreign policy is in a state of flux between the Trump and Biden eras.

Driving the news: One of the most striking moves from the Biden administration thus far was a show of continuity -- concurring with the Trump administration's last-minute determination that China had committed "genocide" against Uyghur Muslims. ... ... Read more

Meet Your Local Insurrectionist
HP | Christopher Mathias | 01/22/21

A new HuffPost tally finds over 20 GOP state and local lawmakers or officials were at the D.C. rally that turned into a violent insurrection. Here are their names.

At least 21 state and local Republican officials attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that turned into a violent riot, according to a new HuffPost tally, many of whom are now under pressure to resign.

They traveled from 16 different states, arriving for the "Stop the Steal" demonstration on the White House Ellipse, where they watched President Donald Trump tell incendiary lies about having been robbed of reelection. He then told the crowd of thousands to march on the Capitol.

In the crowd that day were 13 members of state Houses or Assemblies; three state senators; a county commissioner; a city council member; a GOP congressional district chair; a district director; and a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party. The group also includes a QAnon conspiracy theorist; a self-described member of a fascist militia; and a man who once declared that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." ... Read more

Biden-Harris, Day 1: What mattered most
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/21/21

Guaranteed income programs are proliferating
Axios | Jennifer A. Kingson |

Cities around the country are starting up guaranteed income programs, which pay low-income residents around $300-$600 a month to help improve their lives.

Why it matters: If successful, backers hope these experiments -- which bring the idea of guaranteed basic income from the progressive drawing board to reality -- could set the stage for a day when unconditional cash stipends are a ubiquitous national safety net. ... Read more

Trump's 'crony pardons' flabbergast the political world
TheGuardian | David Siders | 01/20/21/span>

"He apparently didn't consider, or didn't care, how this might impact the Senate Republicans who will now be asked to ignore his actions and save 'his reputation' in the impeachment trial," said one top Republican.

Donald Trump rode into the White House as a populist. He left with a plutocratic flourish, after an orgy of pardons for politically connected business moguls, real estate barons and disgraced former members of Congress.

There was Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser who provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to GOP candidates and committees. Michael Liberty, a donor from Maine who was convicted of making illegal campaign contributions -- and who was once described as "Donald Trump with a Maine accent" -- was another beneficiary of Trump's mercy. So was Drew Brownstein, a former hedge fund manager and son of a powerful Colorado lobbyist.

Steve Bannon was the second of Trump's former campaign chairs -- after Paul Manafort -- to be pardoned. Three disgraced former Republican congressmen made the last-minute list as well. In total, the president offered clemency to seven convicted former members of Congress in his four-year term. ... Read more

US coronavirus death toll passes 400,000 amid grim forecast over winter
The Guardian | Jessica Glenza | 01/20/21

Thousands more deaths expected this season as more transmissible strain spreads and vaccinations move slowlyarticle

More than 400,000 Americans have now been killed by the coronavirus, a horrific marker of the misery the virus has spread across the country, as the rate of deaths from Covid-19 increases.

The latest death toll comes as thousands more deaths are expected in a bleak American winter with widespread Covid transmission, as a more transmissible strain spreads across the country and a mass vaccination campaign gets off to a slow start. ... Read more

Trump departs on final Air Force One flight
Axios | Alayna Treene | 01/20/21

President Trump and his family took off on Air Force One at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning for the final time en route to Florida.

The big picture: Trump's final hours as president were punctuated by his decisions to snub his successor's inauguration and grant pardons to many of his allies who have been swept up in corruption scandals. ... Read more

Trump departs on final Air Force One flight |Axios | 01/20/21 | 19:58

Biden team fears rocky transition may have revealed only 'tip of the iceberg'
Politico | Tyler Pager | 01/20/21

Joe Biden's transition team had no illusions about the chaos they were inheriting from President Donald Trump. They expected a disorganized government and mismanaged agencies, many of them hollowed out and ignored over the past four years.

Hours before they assume office, however, there is a fear among Biden's team that the roadblocks they encountered during the chaotic transition shielded them from understanding the full scope of the problems at various agencies, and that the state of the executive branch is far worse than they understood -- "the tip of the iceberg" as one senior transition aide put it.

At the National Security Council, Trump officials were reluctant to share information about who was even on the staff, and at the Department of Defense, requests for information were either ignored or only partially answered. At the Office of Management and Budget, the practice of making career officials available for the incoming administration to craft their budget was disregarded, leaving Biden officials frustrated that their budget will likely be delayed. And at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the lack of interest in assisting the Biden transition was stated plainly.

In photos: Protests outside fortified capitols draw only small groups
Armed members of the far-right extremist group the Boogaloo Bois near the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing on Jan. 17. About 20 protesters showed up, AP notes. Photo: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 01/18/21

The big picture: Some protests attracted armed members of far-right extremist groups but there were no reports of clashes, as had been feared. The National Guard and law enforcement outnumbered demonstrators, as security was heightened around the U.S. to avoid a repeat of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots ... Read more

Trump turns on Barr
Axios | Jonathan Swan | 01/18/21

Attorney General Bill Barr stood behind a chair in the private dining room next to the Oval Office, looming over Donald Trump. The president sat at the head of the table. It was Dec. 1, nearly a month after the election, and Barr had some sharp advice to get off his chest. The president's theories about a stolen election, Barr told Trump, were "bullshit."

White House counsel Pat Cipollone and a few other aides in the room were shocked Barr had come out and said it -- although they knew it was true. For good measure, the attorney general threw in a warning that the new legal team Trump was betting his future on was "clownish."

Trump had angrily dragged Barr in to explain himself after seeing a breaking AP story all over Twitter, with the headline: "Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud." But Barr was not backing down. Three weeks later, he would be gone. ... Read more

Covid-19's astounding death toll in the US
TheGuardian | Alvin Chang and Rashida Kamal | 01/18/21

One year ago, Americans could have hardly imagined a pandemic that would kill one person every 30 seconds... Click and scroll down ... to see the graphs.
Read more

Biden Delivers Remarks On Public Health And The Economy | NBC News | 01/14/21 | 25:09

The post-Trump GOP, gutted
Axios | Jim VandeHei | 01/15/21

Republicans will emerge from the Trump era gutted financially, institutionally and structurally.

Republicans and Democrats agree -- the country is falling apart
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/14/21

The two parties agree: In a new Axios-Ipsos poll, fourth-fifths of Americans -- both Republicans and Democrats -- say America is falling apart.

Why it matters: The question, asked Tuesday and Wednesday, reflects the collision of crises besetting the country -- the backdrop of a pandemic, recession, decoupling of red/blue America, and racial injustice and the immediacy of the Capitol insurrection, followed by Impeachment II. ... Read more

America is tuning out the coronavirus at the peak of its destruction

The U.S. is now averaging nearly 250,000 new coronavirus cases per day -- a crisis of staggering proportions, even though many Americans have tuned it out.

Dramatic photos show increased security in the Capitol after last week's deadly siege
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) walks past members of the National Guard sleeping in the halls of Capitol Hill. Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Axios | Oriana Gonzalez | 01/13/21

Following last week's violent Capitol siege by Trump supporters during the counting of the Electoral College vote, troops from the National Guard have been sent to secure the House and downtown Washington D.C. as warnings of possible violent demonstrations continue.

The state of play: Capitol Hill prepares for President Trump's second impeachment on Wednesday. If the House votes to impeach Trump, as they are expected to do, he would be the only president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. ... Read more

Big Tech Isn't As Clean As You Think
ZeroHedge | staff | 01/12/21

And they are the driver behind a global electronic waste crisis. Meet Big Tech. Last year, Apple said its iPhone 12 will sell without a charging adapter, like the latest Apple Watches, to reduce the amount of electronic waste its products generate.

"There are also over 2 billion Apple power adapters out there in the world, and that's not counting the billions of third-party adapters. We're removing these items from the iPhone box, which reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of precious materials," Wired quoted Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson.

Yet it's not the chargers that are the big problem, according to e-waste experts. Last year, the world generated a record amount of e-waste, topping 53.6 million metric tons, E-Waste Monitor said in its latest report. This amount represented a 21-percent increase over five years. And e-waste will continue growing, the report warned. It could reach 74 million metric tons by 2030. ... Read more

Montana Senator Jon Tester: It Was Absolutely a Coup Attempt | Amanpour and Company | 01/11/21 | 18:09

Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) - January 10th, 2020 | Meet The Press | NBC News | 01/10/21 | 47:31

Nancy Pelosi: The 2021 60 Minutes interview | 60Minutes | 01/10/21 | 13:41

Criticism of the Fed is going mainstream
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 01/11/21

Big names in the world of finance are beginning to call out the Fed and other central banks for their role in ramping up economic inequality and manipulating financial markets -- a departure from the praise they received for most of last year.

Why it matters: Wall Street was the only pillar of solid support. Most Americans say they don't trust the Fed and politicians look to be taking aim at the central bank for overreaching with its unprecedented actions in March.

Driving the news: Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at $2.8 trillion asset manager Allianz and the former chair of President Obama's Global Development Council, became the latest heavy hitter from the financial industry to issue a rebuke of central banks' policies.

What he's saying: "There is abundant evidence that the beneficial economic implications are low, and the costs include irresponsible risk-taking, higher inequality, distortion of financial markets such as negative interest rates and misallocation of resources," El-Erian told Switzerland's The Market. ... Read more

America in danger
Axios | Felix Salmon | 01/08/21

Americans, who are used to being winners, now look around and see a country that can't secure its own seat of government... that struggles to distribute a vaccine... that was cyber-looted by Russia... that was half a year late with a stimulus plan both sides wanted... that can't even orchestrate a peaceful transition of power.

Why it matters: This is weakness, not strength. The democracy that President-elect Biden will take over is tattered, archaic, precarious. The consent of the governed lies at the heart of American democracy. But Biden will lack that fundamental authority.

? 40% of Americans and 80% of Trump voters say they believe Biden is not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election -- the greatest proportion of holdouts in the history of American polling.

? 145 members of Congress, including 7 Senators, voted to throw out Pennsylvania's Electoral College votes -- a move designed to hand victory to the loser of the election. ... Read more

Energy implications of Biden's latest Cabinet picks
Axios | Ben Geman | 01/08/21

Biden plans to nominate Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for Commerce, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor, and Judge Merrick Garland for attorney general.

Why it matters: Biden's team is planning a whole-of-government push that extends well beyond the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior and Energy departments, which are the agencies most closely involved with energy and climate policy. ... Read more

Exodus begins for White House staff after pro-Trump siege on Capitol
Axios | Mike Allen, Jonathan Swan | 01/07/21

President Trump enjoys the fervent support of tens of millions of Americans. But his closest friends and paid White House officials -- many of the Trumpiest Trumpers we know -- are avoiding him like the plague.

Behind the scenes: The president's final days in office will be lonely ones. Some stalwart aides and confidants -- after years of enduring the crazy and trying to modulate the chaos -- have given up trying to communicate with him, considering him mentally unreachable.

After Congress certified President-elect Biden's victory, Trump declared in a statement tweeted at 3:49 a.m. by aide Dan Scavino: "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." The statement was the product of hours of efforts by aides trying to get him to grapple with reality.... Read more

Could Trump be removed for inciting supporters to storm Capitol? | DW News | 01/07/21 | 13:17

How right-wing media explained the pro-Trump siege of the Capitol
Axios | Sara Fischer | 01/07/21

The big picture: The right's favored media -- conservative TV, websites and social networks -- offered an alternate reality in which everyone but pro-Trump rioters were to blame for the mayhem at the Capitol.

Here's the version of events a good chunk of America got:

Instead of condemning the pro-Trump mobs that stormed Washington, right-wing media outlets mostly blamed left-wing activists, the media, Vice President Pence -- and even police officers -- for the riots that some suggested were the start of a "civil war" in America.

Hosts on Fox News, One America News Network and Newsmax went so far as to baselessly suggest that the unlawful protestors at the Capitol may have been members of Antifa.

Conspiracy theorist Lin Wood tweeted to his over 1 million followers before having his account suspended: "Mike Pence @VP @Mike_Pence is a TRAITOR, a Communist Sympathizer & a Child Molester. Lock him up."... Read more

Your guide to Congress' certification of Biden's win
Axios | Alayna Treene | 01/06/21

There's no doubt about the outcome -- Congress will ratify Joe Biden's election win and he'll be sworn in on Jan. 20 -- but that won't stop today's political theater that may drag late into the night.

Here's our guide to watching the certification debate, with input from legislative aides, historians, election experts and Axios' Ursula Perano.

Details: The House of Representatives and Senate will meet in joint session in the House chamber at 1 p.m. ET to officially count and certify the 538 electoral votes ratified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Expect objections (in alphabetical order) from members in both chambers to results from Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. There may be other objections raised, but to be debated they must be raised in both chambers. ... Read more

The Trump implosion
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/06/21

Republicans, who enabled President Trump with their silence and compliance, are privately furious with him for blowing their Senate majority.

Driving the news: Democrat Raphael Warnock was declared victor over Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of the twin Georgia runoffs at 2 a.m., and will become the Southern state's first Black senator. Democrat Jon Ossoff is on track to beat former Sen. David Perdue in the other runoff, with most of the outstanding votes in Democratic strongholds. ...

That second victory would mean Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer becomes effective majority leader, taking power from Mitch McConnell.

In a 50-50 Senate, Vice President-elect Harris would break ties.

Why it matters: It's a fitting and predictable end to Trump’s reign. ... ... Read more

McConnell Party vs. Trump Party
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/04/21

The Republican battle lines being formed in President Trump's final days -- his loyalists vs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's establishment -- will shape American politics for the next four years.

Why it matters: This power struggle will help define everything from the future of conservatism and right-wing media, including Fox News, to President-elect Biden's ability to win Republican cooperation in office. More broadly and more importantly, the outcome will determine if Trumpism -- and its norm-smashing tactics -- come to permanently define one of America's two major political parties.

The Trump camp includes House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, the 12 senators and 140+ House members who plan a futile fight Wednesday against certification of Biden's victory. That group includes GOP 2024 hopefuls, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. ... Read more

Shell's Climate Ambition | Shell | 10/29/20 | 1:51

"Impeachable offense": Democrats react to Trump's Georgia call
Axios | author | date

Leading Democrats accused President Trump Sunday of corruption, "abuse of power" and committing an "impeachable offense" for urging Georgia's Republican Secretary of State in a phone call to overturn Joe Biden's election win.

Why it matters: Trump was impeached by House Democrats in December 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for pressing Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden, before being acquitted in the GOP-controlled Senate. ... Read more

Trump berates Ga. secretary of state, urges him to 'find' votes | WP | 01/03/21 | 4:31