Beltway Insider: Trump Acquitted, Biden’s Budget, Senate Fails, COVID, Vaccine, Ducklo, Emmett Till, Kobe Bryant

Former President Trump escaped justice once again for his actions of January 6, 2021 as forty-three spineless Republican senators rejected the evidence and remained dedicated to a belief that Trump holds the future of the party.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending February 14, 2021, increased by 1.2% to 54.4% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.6% percentage points to 36.6%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


Beltway Insider: Biden’s Budget, Impeachment, COVID, Vaccination, Integration, Hal Holbrook, Christopher Plummer


Biden's Statement on Impeach Vote

"Today, 57 Senators – including a record 7 Republicans – voted to find former President Trump guilty for inciting that deadly insurrection on our very democracy. The Senate vote followed the bipartisan vote to impeach him by the House of Representatives. While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute. Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a "disgraceful dereliction of duty" and" practically and morally responsible for provoking" the violence unleashed on the Capitol," President Biden said in a released statement.

Republicans who Stood for Democracy

With the necessary vote to secure an impeachment at 67, or a two-thirds majority, it seemed apparent entering this second impeachment trial that conviction as next to impossible.

After hearing compelling evidence which obviously held to the standard for conviction, only seven Republican senators, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania voted to convict.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney said via Facebook, "After careful consideration of the respective counsels' arguments, I have concluded that President Trump is guilty of the charge made by the House of Representatives. President Trump attempted to corrupt the election by pressuring the Secretary of State of Georgia to falsify the election results in his state. President Trump incited the insurrection against Congress by using the power of his office to summon his supporters to Washington on January 6th and urging them to march on the Capitol during the counting of electoral votes. He did this despite the obvious and well-known threats of violence that day. President Trump also violated his oath of office by failing to protect the Capitol, the Vice President, and others in the Capitol. Each and every one of these conclusions compels me to support conviction."

Trump's Impeachment Trial

After shocking, egregious and what should be considered impeachable violations of the Constitution, the senate has once again failed to convict the 45th President.

Former President Trump on national television, provided the spark, as if he were tossing a match on a gasoline spill, that resulted in the siege of the Capitol building, the bludgeoning death of a Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, a point-blank defensive shooting death of an insurrectionist intent on breeching the House, and the overall intent of this mob, lead by those who believed they were acting on clear direction from "their president," and once again forty-three republican senators considered the former president's actions excusable.

Demanding justice seems mute, not simply in this setting, which only weeks ago faced the very real possibility of a domestic terror attack, which forced senators, including Utah Senator and former Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney to turn and barley escape the advancing mob.

Have we really forgotten The Oklahoma City Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building?

So, by party lines, still, government endorses insurrection as allowed and permitted.

The trickle-down effect will filter into states, cities, towns, and municipalities, as pockets of anarchist deem this more than a victory, with the same power and authority as the September 11, 2001 terror attack, but permission to plant the seeds, allow them to germinate, and create circumstances that will come divisive resistance to democracy and work to take over the system of government.

While democracy is the only road Americans walk, the message, by this vote, sends a clearly different message.

Former FBI Tied to January 6, 2021 Insurrection

"A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer and FBI official from Virginia has emerged as a "key figure" in the federal investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, as U.S. prosecutors alleged Thursday that he organized a group of trained fighters and was in contact with self-styled militia groups including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters," reported The Washington Post.


Op/Ed: Trump’s Impeachment Trial Redux


Portions of Biden's Budget Passes House

Portion of President Biden America Rescue Plan, including the additional $1400.00 direct payments as well as additional unemployment compensation, boost payments, definition of "suitable employment" and extended unemployment benefits until at minimally, August 29, 2021.

"Biden's stimulus package, The American Rescue Plan, now proposes extending enhanced unemployment support through August 29, 2021 and increasing the enhanced federal unemployment benefit from $300 per week to $400, according to a White House briefing. "A crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight," Biden said. "We have to act and we have to act now," Forbes Magazine reported.

"Democrats aim to approve a new aid package before March 14, when a $300 per week unemployment insurance supplement buoying millions of Americans will expire. Congress is expected to write a bill reflecting President Joe Biden's framework. His proposal calls for $1,400 direct payments for most Americans, a $400 per week jobless benefit through September, a $20 billion vaccination program and $350 billion in support for state and local governments, among a range of other policies," CNBC.com reported.

Coronavirus Totals

The infection rates of the coronavirus have continued to increase around the world. The weekly account confirms that a while infection rates have tapered early accounts of deaths may have resulted in additional coronavirus deaths which were never attributed.

A new strain, a mutation, has created global concern for leaders around the world are determining the best direction for the protection of the population. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

For the week ending February 14, 2021, coronavirus cases globally increased by 2,720,800 confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 108,531,000 people with a total worldwide death toll of 2,392,600 deaths, an increase of 83,400 over the past week.

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the week ending February 14, 2021, the total confirmed cases rose to 27,619,200 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 662,200 this week alone with an average of 94,600 cases daily. The coronavirus has claimed 484,000 total deaths, a weekly increase of 22,000 deaths. (Data from The New York Times).

U.S. Vaccination Infrastructure

President Biden announced this week his administration had purchased 200million doses of the coronavirus vaccine from Modern and Pfizer which will be enough to fully inoculate the adult population or 100million people by the end of summer 2021.

CDC Endorses Double Mask Mandate

The recent mandate issued by the Center for Disease control, which endorses double masking appears to contradict the blanket media coverage that alleges the coronavirus is actually abating and under control.

Double masking speaks to the possibility that the variant and possibly the original virus itself was potentially stronger than previously documented and to further reduce the number of infections citizens need to utilize a two-fold protection system.

Even as the numbers fall, the question and contradictory messages begs the question, "Is the virus really under control or is this simply a tool to allow governments to ease restrictions and allow resilient Americans to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and jump start the economy?"


Medical Science: COVID-19 - Will the National Mask Mandate Save Us


Should Risk be Avoided?

Globally, citizens of the world are acutely aware of risk behaviors and without thought can name several and the outcome if they fail to eliminate them.

The idea of avoiding risk behaviors has filtered into all areas of life. To achieve long life, one must adopt specific practices as medical research has proven certain lifestyle habits are detrimental to health and tax the medical infrastructure system.

Couple with public service campaigns and legislative action geared toward manufactures of harmful toxins, substances, actions, have forced these companies to add warnings to packaging. Other campaigns including D.A.R.E., and fetal alcohol syndrome and the simple incorporation of exercise into daily life will add years to life.

With all this knowledge, society is now faced with the coronavirus pandemic. Should risk be avoided? And what are the determinations of risk? More than the mask mandate, the vaccination effort, which are geared to allow societies to control the virus instead of the virus controlling society.

The virus unfortunately is here to stay. While it can be controlled, until an all-clear notification arrives determinations on risk need to be addressed.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Resigns

White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo, 32, resigned effective immediately after allegation were published that he responded in an aggressive, sexist and threatening manner to a member of the media who questioned his relationship with a member of the media.

"According to the account in Vanity Fair, which was later confirmed by The New York Times, Mr. Ducklo told Ms. Palmeri that he would "destroy" her if she published an article on the relationship. He also reportedly told her that she was "jealous" of Ms. McCammond and was pursuing the story because of that. He used vulgar language, according to two people with knowledge of the phone call," The New York Times reported.


World News: Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Provokes Russia’s Future


Emmett Till Anti Lynching Act of 2020

The United States vs. Billie Holiday, an upcoming Hulu release highlights the barbaric and heinous act of lynching. Her song, "Strange Fruit," presents in clear and graphic language the act which at one time in American history represented justice served without thought or concern.

The United States senate has repeatedly stopped the passage of the Emmett Till Lynching Act, named after the fourteen-year-old Till who allegedly flirted with a white woman in 1955 and was found days later lynched and beaten.

"As of June 4, 2020, while protests and civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd were occurring nationwide, the bill was being considered by the Senate, with Senator Rand Paul preventing the bill from being passed by unanimous consent. Paul opposed the bill's language for being overly broad, stating that "this bill would cheapen the meaning of lynching by defining it so broadly as to include a minor bruise or abrasion" and has proposed an amendment that would apply a "serious bodily injury standard" for a crime to be considered as lynching," reported Wikipedia.com.

The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act has yet to pass.

Opioid Companies Seek Tax Deduction

Four major drug companies, all of whom agreed to pay upwards of $26 billion dollars in compensation for their roles in the Opioid crisis, plan to take advantage of a coronavirus loophole which allows them to avoid absorbing the full cost and will result in recouping nearly one billion each.

"As details of the blockbuster settlement were still being worked out, pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and the "big three" drug distributors — McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health — all updated their financial projections to include large tax benefits stemming from the expected deal, a Washington Post analysis of regulatory filings found. The Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health said earlier this month it planned to collect a $974 million cash refund because it claimed its opioid-related legal costs as a "net operating loss carryback" — a tax provision Congress included in last year's coronavirus bailout package," reported The Washington Post.

Student Loan Providers See The Light

Should President Biden grant total student loan forgiveness, lenders such as Sallie Mae and Navient, will be afforded the same opportunities as the Drug Companies, which include large tax benefits and reimbursements provided in the coronavirus bill as a way to help companies struggling during the pandemic.

Kobe Bryant Crash Determination Released

The National Transportation and Safety Board released the investigative findings this week on the crash that killed former Los Angeles Laker's Basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others January 26, 2020.

"NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said investigators have determined that [pilot Ara] Zobayan flew through the clouds, an apparent violation of federal standards, and most likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed into hills in the Calabasas area. Investigators also scrutinized Zobayan's decision to bank to the left instead of ascending straight up while trying to climb out of the bad weather, but acknowledged he may have "misperceived" the angles. The board had previously determined that there was no sign of mechanical failure," reported Los Angeles Magazine.com.

In addition to Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, the other passengers who died in the crash have been identified as friend and classmate of Gigi, Alyssa Altobelli, 13, her parents, Kerri and John, a baseball coach with the Orange Coast College Pirate Athletics; Christina Mauser, an assistant girls basketball coach, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, a friend of Bryant's daughter, and pilot, Ara Zobayan.

 

For more information on President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection

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