Beltway Insider: Biden/Ukraine, NATO, COVID Omicron/Vaccine Totals, UM Abuse, Cardi B, André Leon Talley

President Biden issued what many see as an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the U.S. State Department issues a voluntary evacuation order for all non-essential U.S. Embassy staff located in the Ukraine as an invasion appears imminent.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending January 23, 2022 increased by 0.1% to 42.3% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 1.9% to 53.9% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


Beltway Insider: Biden/Putin War, Prince Andrew, COVID Omicron/Vaccine Totals, Unvax Tax, Djokovic, Sirhan Sirhan


Biden, Ukraine Readies for War

President Biden Secretary of State Anthony Blinken returned to Geneva, Switzerland, this week to engage in talks with his Russian counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the hopes of avoiding a costly and deadly war.

"Secretary Blinken made clear to Foreign Minister Lavrov that there are "certain issues and fundamental principles that the United States and our partners and allies are committed to defend."  And "[t]hat includes those that would impede the sovereign right of the Ukrainian people to write their own future.  There's no trade space there — none," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. 

Satellite images reveal a continued buildup of Russian troops surrounding the Ukraine of three sides and the expectation that war is imminent. Continued diplomacy, and further talks, including clear understanding of what Russian can expect if they decide to roll into the Ukraine in a move reminiscent of its 2014 takeover of the Crimean Peninsula.

Actionable Aid

"U.S. officials say small arms ammunition constitute the bulk of the 200,000 pounds of what the State Department is calling lethal aid – needed by Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines. U.S. officials also tell Fox that Javelin anti-tank missiles are expected to arrive early next week from the Baltic states and from U.S. military stockpiles," reported FoxNews.com.

War has no favorable outcomes. For Ukrainians the possibility of an east-west division, which delays Putin's inevitable plan, and still creates resistance, is acceptable. For the United States, as President Biden recently said a "minor incursion" may be acceptable.

Although the President did try to backtrack on this comment and clarify this statement, Russia's clear history of minor incursions to control another nation may have already begun and include Russian backed efforts such as cyber-attacks, sabotage, military strikes against their own troops by Russian special forces sent into the Ukraine for the purpose of initiating military strikes to justify retaliatory strikes.

This "nebulous space between war and peace where a country can take measures — ranging from election meddling and cyber-hacks to assassinations and arms-length coups d'etat — to shape the fate of another nation without the costs of military warfare, and more recently including the hack and release of emails from top Democratic Party officials during the 2016 presidential campaign, an operation that U.S. authorities attributed to Russian military intelligence," reported The Washington Post seems to be a comfort zone for Putin and his top military strategist to further his Russian reunification plan.


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NATO Exercises Still Planned

"The U.S. and NATO forces plan to conduct large-scale military exercises starting next week as a Pentagon spokesperson says officials see "no sign of deescalation" from Russia.  The naval exercises, called Neptune Strike 22, will occur in the Mediterranean and last until Feb. 4. The USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier will join the exercises, which will include integrated NATO defenses and anti-sub operations," reported Foxnews.com.

NATO nations are sending warships to the Mediterranean to participate in the upcoming exercises.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a press conference alongside the German Chancellor, "stressed that NATO was ready to continue dialogue with Russia but will not compromise on core principles for European security. Mr. Stoltenberg warned that the risk of conflict in Europe remains real because of Russia's continuing "unexplained and unjustified" military build-up in and around Ukraine. "NATO Allies call on Russia to de-escalate", Mr. Stoltenberg said. "Any further aggression will come with a high cost for Moscow."

The Strongest Possible Language

The strongest possible language threat which has been used by administrations in the past, has been lobbied against Putin and Russia with the initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and in Putin's gamified outcome of this invasion the global pushback is minimal compared to the gain of "reunifying" in his mind the Russian Empire.

In the strongest possible terms are useless words that mean nothing and are not actionable. What does the United States, NATO, and allies plan? Sanctions? Russia has lived under sanctions since Crimea. Expulsion from the G8? Russian has been expelled since 2014. Economic sanctions?

For Ukrainian families the mass-casualty and loss of life brings the same tragic emotions as it does anywhere, which translate, better to let him take the land than the possibility of a long war, many dead, and strong language from allies but not action or global investment in stopping him.

Ukraine Embassy Employee's Withdraw

The United States State Department has encouraged all non-essential American to leave Ukraine as soon as possible on commercial flights while those remain available.

January 6 Committee Subpoenas Ivanka Trump

The January 6 Committee issued a new round of subpoenas this week including Ivanka Trump, former senior advisor to the president.

"Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., issued a letter Thursday to the former first daughter and senior adviser to then-President Donald Trump. "We respect your privacy, and our questions will be limited to issues relating to January 6th, the activities that contributed to or influenced events on January 6th, and your role in the White House during that period," Thompson wrote," NPR.org reported.

As the January 6 Committee continues to focus on the former president motives, agenda, and response to the Capitol siege, additional information presented on the second day of trial of convicted sex trafficker and groomer Ghislaine Maxwell. The victim testified she was introduced to the former President by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who along with Maxwell and Donald Trump traveled in the same circles during the 1990s and allegedly had a falling out over real estate.

Vaccine Totals

Bloomberg.com has built a vaccine tracker which can be seen here. "In the U.S., 534 million doses have been given so far. An average 316,281 doses per day were administered over the last week," Bloomberg.com reported.

Coronavirus Totals

After a brief season of declining infection rates, the Omicron variant has shocked the world sending major urban and metropolitan areas into a tailspin with sharp spikes in confirmed infection rates. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

Unless 85% of the global population is vaccinated and regularly receiving booster shots the global population will never fully control the pandemic it will always control the population.

For the one-week period ending January 23, 2022 coronavirus cases globally increased by 22,901,171 new confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 349,153,611 people with a total worldwide death toll of 5,590,868 deaths, and a 7-day death rate increase of 107,474 (Data from The New York Times).

COVID US Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the seven-day period ending January 23, 2022, the total confirmed cases rose to 70,468,038 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 4,991,046 with a 7-day average of 713,006 cases per day. The coronavirus has claimed 865,116 total deaths, adding 15,560 more deaths over the 7-day period. (Data from The New York Times).

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Protecting for gain of function knowledge only aides those who initiated the constitutional violations. It does nothing to combat the homegrown terrorism or the narcissist above the law belief. The Best Obtainable Version of the Truth.


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University of Michigan Settles Sex Abuse Claims

The University of Michigan this week announced it had reached a settlement over sexual assault allegations by a former sports doctor who had assault male students during his tenure at the university.

The $490 million dollar settlement will be distrusted to more than 1000 victims of abuse, including former football players, who alleged Dr. Robert Anderson performed unnecessary genital and rectal examinations over the course of his 37 years career. Anderson died in 2008.

"This historic settlement was achieved because survivors of sex abuse refused to be silenced and demanded accountability from their abuser, Robert Anderson, and the University of Michigan," Parker Stinar, an attorney who represents about 200 survivors, said in a statement. "These survivors deserved justice and this resolution will help them with their healing process," reported The Washington Post.

The University of Michigan is not the only major university that has been forced to confront accusations of predatorial tenured professors, physicians, and staff who routinely sexually assaulted, abused, or engaged in inappropriate sexual relations with students or others.

While the University of Michigan is the newest name added to a long and growing list of established an previously considered impenetrable fortress where professional predators are provided refuge to maintain their professional pursuits, grow in stature, while maintaining a dark and deviant nature.

The accepted rape culture which has become a power move in political circles or considered hazing in corporate law firms, and with the finances to ensure the victims are derailed and confront career assassination the mentality of the victim is to remain silent.

The complicit circle of secrecy has allowed for decades of sexual violence, predators, serial offenders to stalk victims. These universities and individuals are those who have been exposed and by no means the last of the list of a dark and accepted rape culture that has become ingrained in American culture.

University of Michigan, convicted pedophile Dr. Larry Nasser, and his colleague Olympic coach John Geddert, UofM's Dr. Robert Townsend, Pennsylvania State University and convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky, Ohio State University, University of Southern California, The Catholic Church, The Mormon Church, The Boy Scouts, USA Gymnastics Organization, Hollywood director and producer Bryan Singer, The Military, the Bill Cosby Scandal, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and his elite group of global trafficker's, Ghislaine Maxwell, former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman each with a clear personal team, professional alliances, and even media, who participated in the culture of obedience and complicit circle of secrecy.

Cardi B to Cover Funeral Expenses of Bronx Fire Victims

Grammy winning artist, Cardi B announced this week she would be covering the funeral expenses, including repatriation, of all the victims of the Bronx Twin Park North West Towers fire on January 9, 2022 which killed 17 residents.

In a statement the Hip Hop singer said, "I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal. I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy," The New York Daily News reported.

The Bronx Twin Park North West Tower fire was the worse high-rise fire in more than thirty years New York City. The victims, many immigrants from Gambia, ranged in age from age 2 to 50. More than $2.5million has been raised to assist the survivors of this tragedy. Cash donations made payable to the Mayor's Fund can be sent to 253 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10007.


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André Leon Talley Dies

André Leon Talley, the larger than life, Vouge Editor-at-Large, creative director, and fashion icon, died this week from complication of heart disease and Covid-19. He was 73.

With condolences and accolades pouring in after the news of Talley's untimely death last week, Anna Wintour, the former longtime Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, and now Global Chief Content Officer of Conde Nast publications, released the following statement published in Vogue magazine:

"The loss of André is felt by so many of us today: the designers he enthusiastically cheered on every season, and who loved him for it; the generations he inspired to work in the industry, seeing a figure who broke boundaries while never forgetting where he started from; those who knew fashion, and Vogue, simply because of him; and, not forgetting, the multitude of colleagues over the years who were consistently buoyed by every new discovery of André's, which he would discuss loudly, and volubly—no one could make people more excited about the most seemingly insignificant fashion details than him. Even his stream of colorful faxes and emails were a highly anticipated event, something we all looked forward to," said Anna Wintour. "Yet it's the loss of André as my colleague and friend that I think of now; it's immeasurable. He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too. Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments, but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much."*

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

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

*It is not the policy of Haute-Lifestyle.com to violate journalistic rules. However, in this instance the editorial board felt breaking the rules was justified.*

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