FBI VETTING NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS IN D.C.: The FBI is vetting all of the 25,000 National Guard troops being deployed in Washington, D.C., for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday because defense officials are worried about a potential insider attack or other threat from them, the Associated Press reported Sunday. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told AP that although they are conscious of the potential threat in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, they have so far not seen evidence of any threats from within the ranks of the servicemembers, and the vetting hasn't turned up any issues. The report cited officials as saying the vetting process began as the first Guardsmen began deploying to Washington more than a week ago, and that it is set to be done by Inauguration Day.
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| NY Times 1/18/21 |
➤ONLY SMALL PROTESTS AT STATE CAPITOL BUILDINGS: Despite worries and online chatter about armed protests at state Capitol buildings across the country Sunday in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, only small groups of right-wing protesters turned out in some of the states, some of them armed with rifles, and none showed up at others. Statehouses across the country have significantly increased security because of the warnings from the FBI, and the protesters at the Capitols were outnumbered by police and National Guard troops. There were no reports of any violence. States will remain alert, however, with the threat continuing at least through President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.
➤CNN: TRUMP TO ISSUE AROUND 100 PARDONS, BUT NOT FOR HIMSELF: President Trump is readying to issue around another 100 pardons and commutations Tuesday, his last full day in office, CNN reported Sunday. Their number will reportedly include white collar criminals and high-profile rappers, along with ones more criminal justice reform-aligned. They are also expected to include controversial pardons, but as of now, according to CNN, Trump is not expected to pardon himself. The idea that presidents can pardon themselves is a constitutionally dubious one, with most experts believing they can't. Additionally, Trump's advisers have encouraged him not to do it in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol because it would look like he was guilty of something, the report cited a source as saying.
➤INCOMING CDC DIRECTOR EXPECTS 500,000 CORONAVIRUS DEATH IN U.S. BY MID-FEBRUARY: Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who will be the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in President-elect Joe Biden's administration, said on CBS' Face the Nation yesterday that she expects there will be 500,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus in the U.S. by the middle of February. As of this morning, there had been just under 400,000 deaths -- 397,600 -- according to Johns Hopkins University's data, so she's forecasting another 100,000 deaths in one month. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted on the same show that the mutated variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the U.K. that is more contagious will be the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. Gottlieb said that it's currently about 0.5 percent of all infections across the country, but that will likely double each week, saying, "[I]n about five weeks, this is going to start to take over." Although the variant is more contagious, it doesn't appear to be any more deadly.
➤RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER WHO SURVIVED NERVE AGENT POISONING ARRESTED AFTER ARRIVING IN MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday after he landed at an airport in Moscow. He was returning to Russia from Germany, where he'd been recovering for five months after a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent that he charges the Russian government was behind. His detention had been expected, since Russian officials claim he violated parole terms from a suspended sentence on a 2014 embezzlement conviction. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. "strongly condemns" Navalny's arrest, calling it "the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition figures and independent voices who are critical of Russian authorities." Jake Sullivan, who President-elect Joe Biden has chosen to be his national security adviser, tweeted, "Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable."
➤FRESHDIRECT SHARES FOOD TREND PREDICTIONS FOR 2021: Grocery delivery service FreshDirect is predicting that food shopping and cooking habits are going to change in 2021. The company’s annual food trend forecast was released recently, and predicts consumers will buy more fresh seafood, premium cuts of meat, and prepared meals. The company also thinks people will be ordering produce online in place of traditional in-person shopping, bringing more creativity into the kitchen, and have a higher focus on reducing food waste. They also foresee a growing demand for same-day delivery and online grocery shopping in general. The company’s Chief Merchandising Officer Scott Crawford says, “The rapid increase in demand for online grocery and the boom in home cooking are squarely aligned with what our team of food experts have been seeing firsthand, both early last year and later accelerated by the pandemic.”
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| Tampa Bay Times 1/18/21 |
🏈NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF RESULTS: Here are the results of this weekend's NFL divisional playoff games:
Saturday, January 16th- Green Bay Packers 32, Los Angeles Rams 18 (NFC)
- Buffalo Bills 17, Baltimore Ravens 3 (AFC)
Sunday, January 17th- Kansas City Chiefs 22, Cleveland Browns 17 (AFC)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, New Orleans Saints 20 (NFC)
Next Sunday's Conference Championship Matchups- Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (AFC)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (NFC)
🏈CHIEFS, BUCCANEERS ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Kansas City moved one step closer to successfully defending its Super Bowl title yesterday and Tampa Bay's Tom Brady won the battle of the veteran star quarterbacks over New Orleans' Drew Brees, as the Chiefs and Buccaneers won their divisional playoff games to advance to the conference championships. The Cleveland Browns' return to the playoffs after nearly two decades came to an end as they fell to the Chiefs 22-17. Kansas City got the win even after losing quarterback Patrick Mahomes midway through the third-quarter when he suffered a concussion, forcing backup Chad Henne to take over. The Saints' 30-20 loss to Tampa Bay could have been the end not only of their season, but of Brees' career, according to media rumors. Brees declined to say after the game if he was retiring, but stated, "I appreciate all that this game has given to me. There are obviously so many incredible memories."
After suffering a concussion, it remains to be seen if Mahomes will be cleared for next Sunday's AFC conference championship game against the Buffalo Bills. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the game, "He’s doing great right now, which is a real positive as we look at this. He passed all the deals he needed to pass and we’ll see where it goes from here. . . . We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but right now he’s feeling good."
🏀76ERS-THUNDER GAME POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS ISSUES: Last night's (January 17th) scheduled game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed due to coronavirus issues, with Philadelphia not having the minimum number of players required due to contract tracing. It was the 13th NBA game that's been called off due to coronavirus issues since January 10th.
🏈STALEY TO BE CHARGERS' NEW HEAD COACH: Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley agreed last night (January 17th) to be the new head coach for the crosstown Los Angeles Chargers. It will be the first head coaching job for the 38-year-old Staley. He's replacing Anthony Lynn, who was fired after the Chargers went 7-9 this season, his fourth as head coach.
⛸CHEN WINS U.S. FIGURE SKATING TITLE FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR: Nathan Chen won his fifth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Sunday (January 17th), the first man to win five U.S. titles in a row since Dick Button did it from 1946 to 1952. The competition was held at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas without any fans due to the pandemic. Bradie Tennell won her second women's U.S. title on Friday night.
🎾72 PLAYERS IN LOCKDOWN AHEAD OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN: The number of players in lockdown ahead of the Australian Open has grown to 72 after there was a fifth positive coronavirus test Sunday (January 17th) from the charter flights that have been bringing players, coaches, officials and media to Melbourne for the tennis major. The players won't be allowed to leave their hotel rooms or practice for 14 days. Other players who are on less strict quarantine because there weren't positive tests on their flights can practice for five hours a day. So far, no players have tested positive since landing. The Australian Open begins on February 8th.
