Steven Brandenburg, a Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to ruin dozens of vials of Covid-19 vaccine, has been charged with Class A misdemeanor, according to Ozaukee County Circuit Court records. Brandenburg, 46, allegedly removed more than 550 doses of the Moderna vaccine from cold storage to ruin them. He now faces a maximum of nine months in prison or a fine of $10,000 or both.
Dominion Voting Systems’ law firm sent MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell a letter over his role ’in the vast and concerted misinformation campaign to slander Dominion.’ Lindell has often said Dominion was a part of a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump. The letter also warns Lindell that litigation against him is ’imminent’ and preserve all communication where he discussed Dominion.
College Board, the non-profit that conducts the SAT, announced that it will drop the SAT’s optional essay section and its supplementary SAT Subject tests. It said the Covid-19 pandemic ’accelerated’ the organization’s process to simplify their tests. It also said it wants SAT to be a digital exam. However, critics say the College Board was trying to put more emphasis on Advanced Placement tests.
A Honduran migrant heading towards the US in a caravan with 8,000 other migrants through Central America said he is taking the arduous journey to America as he believes President-elect Joe Biden will help of them. Biden will take oath of office Wednesday. He has already stated that he will roll back a number of outgoing President Donald Trump’s tough anti-immigration policies.
Emanuel Jackson, a suspect who was rioting at the US Capitol has turned himself in to authorities. Jackson allegedly attacked police officers punching one cop and swinging at others with a baseball bat during the storming of the federal building. Jackson surrendered and positively identified himself in images from the day’s events and admitted to assaulting officers.
36 year old Adam Johnson from Florida, who was pictured carrying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s lectern, appeared virtually in federal court Tuesday. Mr Johnson has been charged on three criminal counts. The initial hearing on the 11th of January saw a federal judge grant Johnson release on a $25,000 surety bond and he was ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
As a precautionary measure against extremist violence, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has ousted two National Guard members from the Presidential Inaugural security detail.
Janet Yellen, during her confirmation hearing, is expected to tell the Senate Finance Committee that the United States is headed for a major recession unless they ’act big.’ U.S. Treasury yields were flat on Tuesday, with traders keeping a close watch over what Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen says. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was flat at 1.095% at 11:15 a.m. ET.
A GPS-enabled monitoring device was worn by a self-proclaimed white supremacist according to the FBI when the man entered the US Capitol along with other Trump supporters. Bryan Betancur’s movements during the day of the deadly insurrection were then retraced by investigators using the monitoring device. The man was then arrested on charges related to the riots.
At least four people were injured Monday in a string of shootings that prompted an order to shelter in place for a Pennsylvania community. The shootings took place not far from each other in at least four different areas of Monroe County. Police believe the shootings were connected. Police have requested multiple search warrants and have witnesses.
Steve Cohen, the owner of New York Mets baseball team, has fired the team’s general manager, Jared Porter, after Porter admitted to sending lewd texts to a female reporter. ESPN reported Porter sent lewd text messages and a photo of ’an erect, naked penis’ to the reporter in 2016, when he was working for the Chicago Cubs. In a statement, the team said Porter ’failed to meet the Mets’ standards.’
Country musician Garth Brooks, who is a Republican, said he will perform at President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony, on January 20. Brooks now joins Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, who had earlier said they would perform at Biden’s inauguration. According to media reports, Biden’s wife, Jill, invited Brooks to perform. Brooks reportedly joked ’he’ll likely be the only Republican’ there.
An arrest warrant has been obtained by the Federal Investigation Bureau for Riley June Williams, a woman alleged to have stolen a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the Capitol riot. It has been alleged that the woman intends to sell the device to the Russian SVR, which is the country’s spy force and is an equivalent of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Jenna Ryan, a Texas Realtor who flew on a private jet to take part in the US Capitol riot, told NBC News that she had ’no guilt in my heart’ over her actions in DC on January 6. Ryan, 50, said went there on the invitation from a ’very cute guy’ on Facebook. When asked whether she felt like a martyr, Ryan said, ’I do. I have the right to feel this way. So, whether or not you agree with me ...’
Americans across the nation observed Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy Monday, on the 52nd anniversary of his assassination. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the events were mostly held virtually. In Washington, DC, the MLK memorial was closed to the public as tens of thousands of National Guard personnel secured the National Mall area ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
A new variant of Covid-19 has been identified in California. The variant was first found in Denmark, in March 2020. However, it is not the same strain found in minks in Denmark, which led to the culling 17 million minks there in November. The new variant is responsible for large outbreaks in Santa Clara and seen in more than a dozen counties, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
Data scientist Rebekah Jones, who was instrumental in helping create Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard, has turned herself in to police, in response to an arrest warrant issued by the state. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said that Jones has been charged with one count of ’offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices.’
The FBI has arrested Couy Griffin, founder of the ’Cowboys for Trump’ group and the commissioner of New Mexico’s Otero County, on charges of illegally entering the US Capitol. Griffin had vowed to return to DC after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol to place a flag on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk. Griffin claimed that he was ’caught up’ in the crowd, which pushed its way through the barricades.