PIZZA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD #NationalPizzaDay pic.twitter.com/WEl1PfNYzF

— New Jersey (@NJGov) February 9, 2021

Reuters: “As former U.S. President Donald Trump goes to trial this week in the Senate on charges of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, criminal and civil investigations into his businesses are accelerating in New York. Manhattan prosecutors probing Trump’s real-estate business for possible insurance and tax fraud have stepped up witness interviews in recent months and hired forensic accountants. A separate state attorney general’s civil probe into whether the business falsely reported property values got a boost on Jan. 29, when a New York Supreme Court judge ordered the Trump Organization to turn over documents.”

“A U.S. Supreme Court decision is expected soon on whether Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr can obtain eight years of Trump’s tax records and other financial information from accounting firm Mazars. Two people familiar with the district attorney’s criminal probe expect the court to act this month. Both the district attorney and the attorney general are focused in part on whether Trump’s businesses improperly falsified values on real-estate assets to secure tax breaks, loans or other benefits. Trump’s tax returns could provide compelling evidence in the criminal probe if they differ significantly from other financial statements reported by the Trump business, said Daniel Horwitz, a white-collar defense lawyer and former Manhattan prosecutor. But in addition to records, he said, prosecutors will likely need witnesses who could ‘testify about false documents and why they were falsified.'”

Axios: “It will take an all-out national effort to dismantle the radicalization pipeline that has planted conspiracy theories in the heads of millions of Americans and inspired last month’s attack on the Capitol, experts tell Axios. Two key measures that could make a difference: Keeping extremists out of the institutions where they could do the greatest damage – like the military, police departments and legislatures, and providing help for those who have embraced dangerous ideologies. Online platforms, meanwhile, must be unwavering in their commitment to root out conspiracy theories and lies that undermine faith in democracy, according to experts interviewed by Axios.”

“The U.S. needs a ‘Marshall Plan against domestic extremism,’ Daniel Koehler, director of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies, told Axios. ‘The spread of extremist conspiracy theories in the United States is the second most dangerous pandemic the country faces right now,’ he said. ‘The damage that’s been done to the U.S. in terms of community and social cohesion will be immense and will be lasting.'”

If the #Jan6 organizers were Trump supporters, then why did they attack us while we were objecting to electoral college votes for Joe Biden?

The attack RUINED our objection that we spent weeks preparing for, which devastated our efforts on behalf of Trump and his voters.

Cont’d

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) February 9, 2021

Thread continued: “They placed pipe bombs at the RNC and the DNC the night before. They did NOT just target one party. They targeted Republicans and Democrats. They were against the government ALL together. I was in the Chamber when the attack occurred. I was very upset, scared, and terrified for ALL of us – every person from Capitol staff, press, police to every Member R and D. I even made a video telling people to stop and they should protest peacefully. I will be forever grateful to my Republican colleagues who bravely helped the police protect us and blocked the door. They courageously risked their lives against the attackers trying to get in.”

“The Capitol attack was planned and organized, NOT incited in the moment by President Trump, and NO Republican Member was involved. We were ALL victims that day. And once again, Trump is the victim of the never ending hate fueled witch hunt. This impeachment trial a circus for the Democrat media mob to entertain the masses that they have brainwashed and addicted to hate, so they don’t see the Dem policies being rapidly forced into place that are destroying our lives, stealing our freedoms, and putting America last.”

CBS News: “As former President Trump’s second impeachment trial begins, a 56%-majority of Americans would like the Senate to vote to convict him, and the same percentage say he encouraged violence at the Capitol – views that are still somewhat linked to Americans’ presidential votes in 2020, reflecting ongoing partisan division. To those in favor of conviction, this trial is described as holding Mr. Trump ‘accountable’ and ‘defending democracy.’ To those Americans (mostly, Republicans) opposed to it, the trial is ‘unnecessary’ and a ‘distraction.'”

CNN: “A major focus of the upcoming trial will be the speech Trump gave on the morning of January 6 on the Ellipse just south of the White House at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally meant to protest Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. That rally was followed by thousands of Trump supporters storming the US Capitol in an insurrection that killed five people, including one Capitol Police officer. Former Trump aides recall the then-President having enjoyed the spectacle created by the riot at the Capitol. Trump was ‘loving watching the Capitol mob,’ one former senior White House official said.”

“Democrats are arguing that Trump incited a violent incursion into the Capitol, when it is they who are enticing illegals to bust through out borders, exploit our resources, and commit crimes.”

Incursion versus insurrection. Entice versus incitement. Crossing the border for a better life versus undermining our Constitution. Sure, Laura, that makes sense.

https://youtu.be/HQSC1gvUj5Y

Axios: “Fox News on Monday filed a motion to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against the network and some of its top hosts from voting company Smartmatic, claiming the lawsuit seeks to ‘stifle debate and chill vital First Amendment activities.’ The bulk of the filing leans on the notion that Fox’s coverage is protected by the First Amendment. ‘This suit strikes at the heart of the First Amendment,’ the lawsuit states. ‘Smartmatic’s theory is fundamentally incompatible with the reality of the modern news network and deeply rooted principles of free speech law.’ The lawsuit cites various legal proceedings that Fox argues establish a precedent that the speech, protected by the First Amendment, should be uninhibited and open and that speech concerning government affairs is very much protected by the First Amendement, as is freedom of the press.”

The number of daily fatalities for the coronavirus in the US hit a two-month low with just 1,309 deaths on Monday, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The number is the lowest since December 7, 2020.  The mark comes with a caveat, however, in that the number of cases and fatalities reported typically dip on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays as the recording of deaths aren’t reported to state or federal authorities.

There is good news, though:  the seven day running average of both new cases and fatalities have hit a downward trend in the last ten days, a significant turning point.  In addition, the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus has dropped nearly 40% since its high in mid-January to just 80,000, the lowest it’s been since November 18, 2020.

Ahead of the anticipated Senate confirmation of Attorney General-designate Merrick Garland, the US Department of Justice on Tuesday will ask 56 Trump-appointed US Attorneys to turn in their resignations, CNN reports.

Two current US Attorneys–one in Delaware and one in Connecticut–will be retained because they are overseeing unspecified sensitive cases.

While the US Attorneys are expected to turn in their resignations, which is a standard process in the change of administrations, the Biden Administration is expected to phase out the employment of those in the positions to ensure a continuity of management.

A female polar bear, named Anana, was killed at the Detroit Zoo by a male polar bear attempting to mate with her, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The 20-year-old female bear was attacked by 16-year-old Nuka on Monday, the Detroit Zoological Society stated in a press release.  The two bears had lived together since around March 2020 without incident.

Nuka had successfully bred with another polar bear last year, fathering twins that were born late last year.

Authorities are working on tracking down the person or persons responsible for hacking into the Oldsmar (Florida) water treatment plant control system to increase the amount of sodium hydroxide being put in the water, CBS News reports.

On Friday, a worker at the water treatment facilities in Pinellas County watched as an outside actor took control of the worker’s computer’s cursor, changing the amount of sodium hydroxide additive from 100 parts per million to 11,100 ppm.  Once the technician realized what was happening, he disconnect the computer and reset the chemical levels before they were dispensed.

Small doses of sodium hydroxide, commonly known as the alkali lye, is safe for human consumption.  In water treatment, it is a common additive to reduce pipe corrosion in water distribution systems.

Attorney and contributor to conservative website TheHill Alan Dershowitz reportedly urged Donald Trump to give a convicted child pornographer and sex trafficker presidential clemency, one in a series of clemency pleas Dershowitz pushed through his access to the former president, the New York Times reports.

Himself accused of improprieties with children, Dershowitz used his access to persuade Trump to issue 10 sentence commutations and two pardons for his wealthy clients or acquaintences, as well as a lessening of sanctions against an Israeli mining billionaire.  That amounts to five percent, or one in twenty, of all the clemency requests granted by Trump.

Dershowitz’s plan to secure clemency for George Nader, a former associate of Trump henchman Lev Parnas, for his child pornography and sex trafficker convictions, despite a stipulation that Nader would immediately leave the country. 

“Some families want answers after graffiti that read ‘Black Lives Don’t Matter’ was painted inside a Chambers County high school. A concerned parent who shared the image with ABC13 said the issue is ongoing inside Barbers Hill High School. The parent, who asked not to be identified given the sensitive nature of this story, said she wants the school district to do more. She said her son texted her the image just days after the election in November.”

“The parent said in the months to follow, the district changed their face mask policy because some teenagers wore certain ones containing the American flag as a way to harass Black students and show their support for former President Donald Trump. She said the most recent posters of Vice President Kamala Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama were damaged after being put up for Black History Month. In an image posted to social media and shared with ABC13, the caption read ‘I ain’t starting no shit but this is bs like if they can put all this up but we couldn’t even wear our damn flag on a mask at the beginning of the year bc it’s racist no fuck you you don’t like it get out.’ ‘It’s disturbing to know how people truly feel and how parents are teaching their children to hate,”‘said the parent. ‘Just because the shade of the skin is just a little bit darker or a little bit different than them'” – ABC13.

David Schoen, a current attorney for Donald Trump’s defense team in his imminent impeachment trial, has withdrawn his request for a schedule adjustment to the trial to accommodate his religious observance, Maggie Haberman of the New York Times reports.

Last week, Schoen requested that the Senate adjust its schedule for the trial to avoid proceedings from sunset on Friday through Saturday in observance of the Jewish Shabbat.  The Senate agreed and set its schedule accordingly.

On Monday, however, Schoen sent another letter to Senate leaders saying that such a change was unneeded because Trump’s defense team has “adjustments” to the defense team and that Schoen–while still on the defense team–will not participate in the trial during Shabbat.

Otter Globe and Intelligencer: “This article is a follow-up to the article I published on January 11th where I argued that Donald J. Trump could face criminal charges for inciting a riot, seditious conspiracy and treason. There has been a flood of reporting on the storming of the Capitol Building by pro-Trump insurrectionists, and with so much information coming forward in such a short time, it can be difficult to focus on key evidentiary material. In this article I will focus on several key items that have come out in the past few weeks which I believe are critically important items that Federal prosecutors for the Biden Administration need to focus on. This series of articles is predicated on the idea that Senate Republicans appear intent on turning Senate impeachment proceedings into a pathetic display of their cowardice and fealty to Trump, and that Democrats should therefore use the Senate Impeachment process as a means of eliciting evidence to establish additional evidence to support probable cause, and an ensuing legal proceeding.”

“US Justice Dept. drops Trump-era lawsuit against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-friend and former adviser to Melania Trump” reports Law.com’s Mike Scarcella.