Capitol Insurrection Highlights Increasing Radicalization of Right-Wing White Police Officers

Democracy Now!

Published on Jan 19, 2021

At least 28 law enforcement officers from across the United States attended the Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6 that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, with some even boasting on social media about taking part in the riot that left five people dead. BuzzFeed News investigative reporter Albert Samaha says off-duty police officers’ involvement in the insurrection reflects a growing problem of right-wing radicalization in police ranks — a problem Black officers say has gone unaddressed by higher-ups. Samaha says that while “white supremacist ideology in law enforcement is as old as law enforcement in the U.S.” there was a marked change in tone and attitudes among police officers following the 2014 Ferguson uprising against police brutality. He says that Donald Trump’s loud support for police against claims of misconduct and systemic violence gave officers new license to express bigoted and extremist views. “The top came off, and the rhetoric suddenly became acceptable within locker rooms,” he says.

Live: Explore a new Maritime Silk Road Museum in SE China 一起探访中 国首个大型海上丝绸之路博 物馆

CGTN

Streamed live 67 minutes ago

The ancient Maritime Silk Road has served as an important economic and cultural bridge between the East and the West. A new Maritime Silk Road Museum in Quanzhou City, southeast China’s Fujian Province, opens to the public on January 21. The museum is established by Shimao Group and strongly supported by the Palace Museum in Beijing. Covering an area of 11,482 square meters, the museum displays thousands of valuable cultural relics. Join CGTN’s Wu Lei as he explores the museum and brings you stories behind the relics.

“Unmitigated Disaster”: Michael Eric Dyson on How Trump Turned White House into “Ful crum of Fascism”

Democracy Now!

Published on Jan 20, 2021

As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are inaugurated and the Trump presidency comes to an end, we look back at his regime with author and analyst Michael Eric Dyson. “The Trump presidency has been an unmitigated disaster,” Dyson says. His “direct assault” on democratic processes resulted in a “neofascist presidency that attempted to undermine the very legitimacy of the democracy that he was put in office to uphold.”

Profiting from Pardons: Giuliani Aide Told CIA Whistleblower a Trump Pardon Would Cost $2 Million

Democracy Now!

Published on Jan 20, 2021

With less than 12 hours before the end of his presidency, Donald Trump issued 143 pardons and commutations, including a pardon for Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist and campaign manager. Trump, who has pardoned other associates and allies during his single term, has so far rejected calls to pardon prominent whistleblowers including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Reality Winner. Details continue to emerge about how allies of Trump have personally profited from people seeking pardons. We speak with John Kiriakou, a former CIA analyst and case officer who exposed the Bush-era torture program and was the only official jailed in connection to it, about the pardon system. He says an associate of Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani offered him a pardon for $2 million, which Kiriakou declined to pay. “They don’t see this as a bribe,” says Kiriakou. “This is the way Washington works.”

Top U.S. & World Headlines — January 20, 2021

Democracy Now!

Published on Jan 20, 2021

WHO: Equitable Vaccine Distribution at ‘Serious Risk’

VOA News

Published on Jan 20, 2021

WHO says is on the brink of a ‘catastrophic moral failure’

Evangelical Christians in the USA | DW Documentary

Jan 14, 2021

DW Documentary Jan 14, 2021

Evangelical Christians often have a huge impact on American politics. Many of these people are socially conservative, consider themselves patriots, and believe that Americans have a constitutional right to own guns.

This documentary explores the core beliefs of America’s fundamentalist Christians – including the concept of creation, as opposed to evolution. Our report features interviews with conservative evangelicals who, for example, believe that God created the world in six days about 6,000 years ago.

Our reporters traveled to the state of Kentucky to visit a Creation Museum and a Christian theme park that features a life-size model of Noah’s Ark.

Christian churches in the US play a major social role, especially in rural areas. They operate schools and universities, and organize music festivals that celebrate their faith.

Most fundamentalist Christians are opposed to abortion, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. They believe that those who engage in these activities will be condemned to Hell. And some have formed paramilitary groups to defend themselves against those whom they perceive as enemies – including non-believers, Communists, and Muslims.

Communicating Science (in a science-skeptical world)

Commonwealth Club of California

Main image by Melinda Wenner Moyer.

WED, JAN 20 / 3:00 PM PST

SPEAKERS

Jeremy A. Abbate
Vice President and Publisher, Scientific American

Melinda Wenner Moyer
Contributing Editor, Scientific American; Faculty Member, Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, New York University; Author, How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t A–holes (forthcoming)

Farewell Address of President Donald J. Trump

Trump White House

Jan 19, 2021

A Message from First Lady Melania Trump

Trump White House – Jan 18, 2021