January 1, Whistleblower Complaint ‘Deeply Disturbing’

This Day in History | 1960

Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Nixon square off in the first televised presidential debate.

Good Morning Middle Americans!

Get ready for the partisan dynamics of President Trump’s Ukraine phone call scandal to drastically change today.  Acting Director of National Security Joseph McGwire is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill, and we are getting closer to knowing the whistleblower’s identity.  The White House and MAGA world are working overtime to discredit the whistleblower, even before we know his/her identity.  We will likely find out today if the whistleblower’s personal politics played a role in this complaint. 

Meanwhile, most Republicans are rallying behind the President. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made that easy by rushing to this new formal impeachment inquiry without having seen the transcript of the phone call or the whistleblower’s actual  complaint.  But members of Congress have both documents now. And even some Republicans are saying this looks very bad for the president. 

Also today, the US Army issues a warning about mass shooters targeting the release of the new Joker movie.  Juul, America’s largest e cigarette maker, parts ways with its CEO and will stop advertising in the US.  And a new UN climate report says the earth is toast, and there’s not much we can do about it now. 

Read all about it. 

 – Fraser Dixon 

Ukraine Whistleblower’s Lead Attorney Donated To Biden

(The Washington Free Beacon) – The lead counsel representing the Ukraine whistleblower donated to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign earlier this year, records show.

Andrew Bakaj, founder and managing partner of D.C.-based law firm Compass Rose Legal Group, is the lead counsel working on behalf of the Ukraine whistleblower. Bakaj earmarked a $100 donation on April 26 through ActBlue, a fundraising nonprofit that helps facilitate contributions for Democrats, to Biden’s presidential campaign, the Federal Election Commission’s website shows. Biden appears to be the only recipient of campaign cash from Bakaj this year.

Read more from the Washington Free Beacon

US Army Issues Warnings About ‘Joker’ Film and Potential Violence

(Gizmodo) – The U.S. military has warned service members about the potential for a mass shooter at screenings of the Warner Bros. film Joker, which has sparked wide concerns from, among others, the families of those killed during the 2012 mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

The U.S. Army confirmed on Tuesday that the warning was widely distributed after social media posts related to extremists classified as “incels,” were uncovered by intelligence officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Find out more from Gizmodo here

Juul C.E.O. Steps Down

(New York Times) – Juul, the nation’s largest e-cigarette maker says it will stop advertising its devices in the U.S. and replace its chief executive as it and other brands face backlash from two public health debacles.

Juul has been confronting an increasingly tougher regulatory environment on the federal and state levels, and now a criminal inquiry by the United States attorney’s office in Northern California as well as investigations by federal agencies and some state attorneys general into its marketing practices.

Read more from the New York Times here

UN Climate Report Says Earth Is in Hot Water

(USA Today) – In an unprecedented effort, teams of scientists from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change explored the farthest corners of Earth, from the highest Alpine regions to the deepest oceans, said Ko Barrett, panel vice chair and a NOAA deputy assistant administrator for research, “and even in these remote places climate change is evident.”

As glaciers and ice sheets have melted faster, and rising temperatures have warmed the surface of the sea, the planet’s marine zones have absorbed the heat, Barrett said. But the systems are now at or near overload.

Learn more from the USA Today here