Campaigner leading court action aiming to prove Scotland does not need WM’s blessing to hold an indyref has called on the Lord Advocate Jas Wolfe to say exactly who he represents, after a Court of Session judge yesterday described a motion as a “fishing diligence”.

Several questions about protecting the inaugural, put to me by @ShawnAndersonDC and @bhaseltonWTOP on the air @wtop today.

1. How is Secret Service planning to protect the Inauguration from the violence that occurred last week?

Planning is the key word. They’ve been planning this inauguration for more than a year. And it’s important to note that comparing security around the Capitol on an ordinary day and an inauguration are like comparing an Apple to an entire Orange tree.

On Inauguration Day there are many thousands of people involved in protection that we don't see. There are technological capabilities, military and cyber assets, There are #WMD assets. The air, water and land are covered like a blanket.

2. What kind of threats are you hearing about...not just for the 20th...but other days too?

Many looking to engage violence in the run up to or during the inaugural are really upset because some of their social media sites are being taken offline, but plenty of others are still active and they are STILL talking about violence on those sites.

I love the smell of a leaked legal service opinion in the morning

The conclusion: the EU Council legal service says that it's OK for the Brexit deal to be concluded with the UK by the EU only, not needing Member States' participation

The reasoning: the legal service distinguishes between competences reserved to Member States, and competences shared with the EU. For the latter, the EU has the choice of concluding an EU-only treaty.

The legal service summarises the prior case law backing up its interpretation.

It refers to the Weddell case, concerning competence to conclude a treaty on the Antarctic environment, where Member States *could* be involved. But that was based on the particular legal features of the Antarctic treaty; and the UK is not Antarctica.

Thread time (SORRY!) I've been thinking about Chris Stanton, one of the individuals who was arrested for being involved in the Capital insurrection, who died by suicide. How does a - seemingly - regular guy throw his entire life away to help commit an act of terror? 1/?

We need to address the rot that goes well beyond Trump. As someone who voted Republican back when these games started, I know their playbook by heart. I know they use fear to mobilize. I’m angry that so many Republicans will walk away from this with their career unscathed. 2/?

They're coming for your guns!
Socialism!
Trans story time!
They hate America!
They want to allow the murder of newborns!
Immigrants are going to take your jobs & rape your women!
Refugees = terrorists!
The media hates you!
You can't say Christmas!

And on and on and on.... 3/?

Nancy Mace mentioned the dangers of rhetoric the other day w/o acknowledging her part in this. Separating herself from an out of control fire after she’d been stoking it. And she’s far from alone. Rubio, Cruz, Haley, [insert hundreds of names] have all had a hand in this. 4/?

Men like Chris Stanton listened to the fear mongering, then he had Trump reaffirming it all, and an entire party lining up behind whatever beliefs brought them increased funding reaffirming it all. They told supporters to fight, they sold them on “war,” 5/?

EFCC Arrests Two Brothers, Six Other Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Osogbo
…4 Internet Fraudsters Convicted In Lagos

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Thursday, January 28, 2021, arrested eight men suspected to be internet fraudsters in Osogbo, Osun State.

The suspects Akinrinmade Adepoju Sunday and his brother Akinrinmade Adeniyi were arrested in their room and parlor apartment, others are Dennis Oluwamuyiwa, Oni Oluwaseyi, Adeyemo Adeyinka, Aborisade Abayomi, Goodluck Olatayo, and Gbolahan Sodiq.

They were arrested at their hideout in Ayegbami area of the ancient town by operatives, working on actionable intelligence on their alleged criminal activities.

Items recovered from the suspects include two cars, laptops and mobile phones.

They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

In a related development, the Lagos Zonal office of the Commission has secured the conviction of four internet fraudsters.

Yesterday #StanSwamy died, after eight months in prison conditions that exacerbated his Parkinson's. He was one of the jailed human-rights advocates aka #BhimaKoregaon 16.
The story of the evidence against them is... amazing and bizarre, and is worth going over. A thread.

2. After the first arrests in June of 2018, police began to leak sensational 'electronic evidence' – letters found on the activists' laptops, which showed their links to Maoist guerillas. The most shocking letter even proposed a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Modi.

3. The letters were strangely explicit: Conspirators used each others' real names, instead of aliases as Maoists typically do.
They openly detailed requirements for arms and planned attacks, without using code-words.

4. The correspondence also implicated “Congress friends” and leaders, and a range of civil-society groups and youth leaders, like Jignesh Mevani and Umar Khalid...

5. In short, the letters outlined an 'Urban Naxal' ecosystem, which neatly matched the right-wing's projection of the grand anti-national conspiracy: Armed guerillas, human rights activists, opposition parties, Dalit and Muslim student leaders – all in the bag.