January 1, Beachfront Condo Collapses, Many Feared Dead

Hello Americans,

A horrifying scene unfolded on Thursday after a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, killing at least one person and trapping residents in the rubble. Rescuers pulled out dozens of survivors. As of this reporting, nearly 100 people are still unaccounted for, stoking fears that the death toll could climb. “The building is literally pancaked,” said Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. “That is heartbreaking because it doesn’t mean, to me, that we are going to be as successful as we wanted to be in finding people alive.”

President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he’s agreed to a deal with a bipartisan group of senators on an infrastructure plan. Many details remain unclear, but it is known that the total cost of the proposed deal is $1.2 trillion over eight years. That is a significantly lower number than the $2.25 trillion plan Biden unveiled in March. Democrats are still planning to push some of the provisions that have been left out of the new proposal.

In further political news, top House Democrats are investigating whether DOJ officials under Donald Trump’s watch ran an “unlawful shadow operation to target political enemies of the former president to hunt down leaks of classified information.” House judiciary committee chairman Jerry Nadler is focusing his investigation on when the DOJ issued subpoenas against Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in 2018.

Megan McCain had some strong words following Britney Spears’ conservatorship court testimony this week. The View co-host called on the FBI to immediately “extradite her from her home” to remove Spears from further abuse. “If she were any other person not named Britney Spears, this is a human trafficking issue, and should be treated as such,” McCain said. Spears has been under the controversial conservatorship for 13 years.

Rudy Giuliani was suspended from practicing law in the state of New York. The decision-making court cited his “false and misleading statements” about the election loss of Donald Trump. The suspension, which takes effect immediately, comes as Giuliani is under criminal investigation in connection with his work in Ukraine. The 77-year-old’s suspension is temporary, pending the outcome of a full formal disciplinary hearing.

Lastly, a June survey of nearly 200 police departments shows a 45% increase in the retirement rate and a near 20% increase in resignations. “Let’s be honest, the conversation nationally has really been very, very much questioning police authority, what they do, how they do it,” said the Police Executive Research Forum’s Executive Director Chuck Wexler. “So if you wake up every day and that’s what you hear, it takes its toll.”

Stay safe,

Fraser Dixon

Sources

• Many feared dead after Florida beachfront condo collapses
• Here’s what we know so far about the bipartisan infrastructure deal
• House investigates possible shadow operation in Trump justice department
• Meghan McCain calls on FBI to immediately ‘extradite’ Britney Spears from her home following court testimony
• Rudy Giuliani is suspended from practicing law in New York over false statements about Trump election loss
• Cops Say Low Morale And Department Scrutiny Are Driving Them Away From The Job