Mitch McConnell is telling GOP senators their decision on a Trump impeachment trial conviction is a 'vote of conscience' https://t.co/tzuXEyD8ap by @tomlobianco ($) in @Politicsinsider

"His message to me was this would clearly be a vote of conscience," Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, told @Politicsinsider "He's always been respectful of members that way."

Cramer, a former House Republican & early supporter of Trump who stuck w/ him through his 1 term in office, said that he doesn't want to vote to convict Trump. But he said he might be open to voting in favor of barring Trump from serving in office again after last week's attack.

Such a vote to permanently end Trump's federal government career requires just a simple majority but would only happen should two-thirds of the Senate vote to convict Trump. That has never before occurred to a president in more than 230 years of US history.

The domestic attack on the Capitol has lawmakers from both parties rattled ahead of Biden's inauguration, where about 20,000 National Guard troops have set up camp in and around the nation's seat of legislative power.

Here are some observations from the EU side on the touring issue facing musicians

2/ The European Commission offered the UK a standard mobility clause in its draft legal text back in March last year that would cover musicians, sportspersons etc... It's on page 354 of the EU's opening text ahead of the negotiations

3/ Under a standard mobility clause, acc to one official, EU member states can ask for visas for certain people coming to carry out paid activity. However, there's a list of exemptions for people who don't need visas:

4/ This list includes those "travelling for the purpose of business deliberations..., sportspersons or artists [including musicians] performing an activity on an ad-hoc basis, journalists sent by the media of their country of residence, and intra-corporate trainees."

5/ In other words, under a standard mobility provision, musicians, journalists, sports people and business people who travel to discuss contracts etc do not need visas. Officials say this is the standard EU arrangement for third countries, eg the US.

Robert Sanford, the retired PA firefighter who has been charged in the DC riot, went to the Capitol following "the President's instructions," a complaining witness told the FBI.

Peter Harding, a Buffalo area man, has been charged by feds in the Capitol riot. The FBI notes that he was captured in social media photo lighting fire to media camera equipment outside building before entering.

The FBI says Kevin Lyons was "evasive" at first about being inside the Capitol. Then, when agents showed him an Instagram pic he'd taken & posted of Nancy Pelosi's office, he caved.
"Wow, you're pretty good," he said. "That was only up for an hour."

Kevin Seefried told the feds that he and his son Hunter went to DC on Jan. 6 from their home in Delaware "to hear President Trump speak."
They brought along the Confederate battle flag from the house "where it is usually displayed outside."

The feds were able to find & charge Jenny Cudd of Texas in part b/c she posted a FB video of her incursion on the Capitol.
"We did break down Nancy Pelosi's office door & somebody stole her gavel..." Cudd said. "...Hell yes I am proud of my actions."

1. Military Intelligence Contact Update continued...

. (2) Neither Trump nor Biden are Inaugurated on Wed 6 Jan, there is an announcement of an interregnum (a transitional government) till the election fraud evidence can be investigated and adjudicated by state legislatures...

Thread:

Leftists accused me of tin foil hattery for writing communists already took over America. Look what Washington Post published today:

New Demshevik Party narrative spread by their most loyal attack dog Washington Post: the GOP and the 75 million people who support Trump are potential terrorists, similar to the Lebanese terror organization Hizb'Allah.

For those who don't remember or were not born at the time, Hizb'Allah or Hezbollah perpetrated the 1983 Beirut bombing that killed 200+ Marines. This act forced the US and UN to pull out their peace keeping forces and started the civil war that turned Lebanon into ruins.

By calling the GOP a terrorist organization, the communists running today Democratic Party are using the same old but proven tactic of communist/fascist demonization and de-humanization of their political enemies.

Portraying political enemies in the subservient media as a group of soulless terrorists and irreconcilable enemies capable of mass murdering innocent people is a tactic long used by totalitarian communist and fascist regimes...

Capital Jan 6th - Notes (thread)
This is a compilation of info I have collected from various pages and sites.

@HouseJudiciary Hi, Germany 🇩🇪 here again.
[Thread.]
In the 1970's West Germany suffered from severe series domestic terrorism.
The Rote Armee Fraktion.
Their attackes on capitalism, such as Bankers, Politicians, Embassies. To finance, they are committing robbery, killing police. /1

October 20, 1977, former chancellor Helmut Schmidt held a speech on the responsibility of the democracy to protect his citizens, as outlined by the Supreme Court.
He said :
... /2

"The Federal Constitutional Court did in the early Morning hours of October 16 on behalf of ours People recognized for right: Articles 1 and 2 of ours Of the Basic Law oblige the state to to protect life. This duty to protect is full.
.../3

She commands the state to protect itself and to put it in front of this life in a promoting way; this means above all, it also protects against unlawful attacks by Preserving the pages of others.
... /4

Have at this commandment all state organs, depending on their particular Tasks, align.
All state organs!
... /5

(thread)

The investigatory/legal fallout from 1/6 seems by all accounts to be shaping up to be pretty massive, which is not entirely shocking given that fash just humiliated cops and feds at the heart of the nation's Capitol.

None of that will make this go away.

What happened in DC was a revolution for the right.

They claimed their power and, at least for a few hours, they got away with it.

They really smell themselves now, as a pastor friend of mine likes to put it.

In liberatory organizing, we talk all the time about what it means to give up power because we don't think we have it, and how tidal the shift is when folks awaken to what happens when they act in mass movement together.

That's how people start to believe a win is possible.

Well, that's what the far right got a taste of in DC.

That realization of, oh, mass organizing oriented towards action can move mountains.

They understand that the absence of a militarized cop presence was a product of their political will.

When they start seeing large-scale legal consequences, they will react the way they always do when their infrastructure is under attack, which is to be like "this only makes us stronger and radicalizes more people!"

It's not true, but it's also worth unpacking a bit.

Here's a short thread of the questions I asked the Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, on the ICO’s investigation into Cambridge Analytica's seized servers and use of personal data. @CommonsDCMS

Firstly, I asked the Information Commissioner about the US Intelligence Committee's report and if they had contacted the ICO to receive evidence that had been seized from Cambridge Analytica's servers. She says she hasn't been contacted but would share if officially requested.

In April 2019 the ICO office promised a report into the
seizure of some of Cambridge Analytica's servers. I asked the Commissioner why the @CommonsDCMS only received a letter and not a report as stated.

Next I asked about material which fell outside of the ICO's investigation but wasn't passed onto other authorities. The Commissioner says they have passed on data to the National Crime Agency, but they are in consultation with experts on what should be retained or disposed.

I then asked about new evidence which has come to light since the ICO's investigation which shows the relationship between Cambridge Analytica and AIQ is a lot closer than the ICO's findings stated.

1. Military Intelligence Contact Update continued...

. Our guy's info is the same as Dr. Charlie Ward's sources who gave Charlie a list that "over the next few days" we will see:
. (1) Significant declassification disclosure of Deep State players' criminality,

GP Looks like media has settled on the narrative of "white supremacists" being solely responsible for the riot at the Capitol.

I have thoughts.

1/n

1. Military Intelligence Contact Update continued...

. Our guy's info is the same as MarkZ's info that "We are in the final days" and "things will be playing out quickly"; his info is the same as Bruce's that Iraq is expected to change their budget rate to the Dinar RV rate...

Prediction: the Ontario govt led by Premier Ford and Dr. Williams has been consistent: they want businesses open as much as possible. They will be getting an earful from their backers. We should therefore expect an unscientific, irrational decision to open up much too early.

To do this, they will push hard to reopen schools since the workforce needed for these businesses can't work without school and day care for kids. They will lean on arguments like child mental health, business suffering, and improved safety inspections. They will gaslight experts

They may even resort to more open letters from mayors, business associations, and business petitions. They might even resort to pointing out how well Ontario is doing vs even worse countries or states. They will leave PHU's to make local decisions without support.

They may even resort to directing rapid test inventory to manufacturing sector workplaces, even though those sectors (eg auto parts) have little to do with "essential". They may even direct vaccines to "essential workers" over the 60+ at home vulnerable.

They may even horde federal dollars to focus them on businesses vs programs like paid sickness benefits or expanded testing. Past behaviour points to future behaviour.

☀️ @PunchbowlNews AM:

What is @LeaderMcConnell doing?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with noise-canceling headphones on, you know that the left has been clamoring for Schumer to blow up the legislative filibuster.

@LeaderMcConnell Progressive groups are spending $$ it to happen. @AJentleson has made a cottage industry out advocating for the elimination of the 60-vote threshold. @AOC wants it gone. @BarackObama too. Even Harry Reid says it’s a matter of when, not if, the filibuster is gets thrown out.

@LeaderMcConnell @AJentleson @AOC @BarackObama So what is McConnell’s first ask of Schumer? To guarantee Schumer won’t do the very thing that most of his party wants to see him do.

@LeaderMcConnell @AJentleson @AOC @BarackObama And that’s what’s holding up the entire Senate -- McConnell's ask of Schumer to guarantee he won't blow up the filibuster. The chamber can’t efficiently function without an organizing resolution, and without some clarity on the filibuster, they won't have an organizing resolution

@LeaderMcConnell @AJentleson @AOC @BarackObama And that's why @JoeBiden nominees are moving slowly in the new president’s first week. Despite being in the minority, Republicans still technically chair committees.

here's the agenda for today's albemarle-charlottesville regional jail authority meeting

https://t.co/uljERCsAMc

Every AMERICAN should want FREE & FAIR elections and NO TRAITORS inside our government.

For 4 YEARS the traitors have been exposed and there's been NO JUSTICE yet leaders call for PEACE as Nation descends into the hands of the ENEMY who are openly talking about HUNTING AMERICANS