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Agree Keano. Last minute rule changes added fuel to Trump's already burning fire.

There are some things coming out from the FBI investigation that at the very least suggest premeditated plans from the more military minded Trump fanatics. But that does not get Trump off the hook. He has been ramping this up ever since that first mention of electoral fraud, which it has to be pointed out, began BEFORE the election day itself. Right from the off, Trump was attacking postal ballots as a legitimate form of voting. If enough Republicans vote to impeach in the Senate, it will be as much about reclaiming their party as it is from stopping Trump ever running again. The threats have already started against those brave enough to do it - from the very same Trump fanatics that are exonerating Trump from an culpability. What a mess of a party.

And shooting a commercial no less. BUT government have not closed down all but essential businesses this time, as they did in March.

lol, some good ripostes above. I noticed today that household goods made in Europe are not restocking in many stores and that has to be down to import problems or delays.

10 republicans voted for impeachment. There is a real chance now that the Senate will convict as well.

The AZ vaccine is also a two shot vaccine given 12 weeks apart. The size of the first dose came into question after a small number of people in the trial were given half doses and appeared to show higher efficacy. However more study is needed with a bigger sample to corroborate that and understand why.

To be fair, both groups are prioritised as part of the phase 1 rollout. In reality, who gets vaccinated first, will be down to local factors, availability of vaccine, location of population etc. Everyone over fifty and all front line workers should have been offered a vaccine by spring, with second shots being completely by early Summer.

LOL Cat, I can't disagree with that one!

Hence the idea of a civil war being metaphorical, and relating to the fight for the Republican Party now. The Trumps are not going away though. Ivanka has hinted she may run in 2024 and aspire to be the first female president (although Biden may step aside to give Harris that honour at some point of course). There is no question that Trumpism has radicalised parts of the Rupublican Party, but they as a party have to decide what to do about it. Winning elections is going to be increasingly difficult if they do not reach out to a range of ethnic groups.

mrwb Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can't expect store staff to take customers on and > force them to wear a mask. They can ask them, what > if they say "no"? Shops can refuse entry to a person without a mask. Several big chains (who tend to have security staff on their doors, have now said they will be doing that.

Psychopathy is a rare disorder and can't be measured without a string of evaluations by a clinical psychologist. Narcissism however is far easier to observe and often is part of psychopathy. Trump gave some comments to the media today, after staying holed up for a week, in which he is effectively defiant and doubling down on what happened. The man is living in an alternate reality in his own head and that plays into the alternate realities being promoted by too many people on the fringes of his base. That is the issue here. How fit is someone like that to hold office? Anyone arguing he is fit to hold office should really think about what they are endorsing there.

This article pretty much nails the problem.... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/21/can-american-democracy-survive-donald-trump

keano77 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ..Keano, do you really think Trump is the only > president that has struggles in the Senate and > Congress?... > > No. Why do you ask me that question? I never > suggested he was I asked the question because you seem to be under the illusion that the flack faced by Trump was any different to any President before him. It isn't.

Someone gave me this analogy yesterday. When Henry II lost his temper on hearing of Thomas O Becket's return from exile to cheering crowds and delivered a tirade that included lines like 'What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk!', lines that caused four devoted hothead knights to seek out and murder Thomas Becket ('Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the king and the kingdom?'), who was at most fault? Words from leaders matter. They can have devastating consequences. Now here is the difference. In the aftermath, Henry II, accepted his words incited the murder, and made a public act of penance, visiting the priest's tomb and giving it Royal approval. Not a word of contrition from Trump however, not even for the police officer that was murdered.

TheCat is absolutely right about trials in the court of public opinion. The legal system will decide who should be charged and what with, following proper investigation. But as KK says also, dumbing this down as though it was just some frat party that got out of hand, is equally dangerous. People died, and that also needs proper investigation. Keano, do you really think Trump is the only president that has struggles in the Senate and Congress? Politics is not a fun sport. It is brutal and opportunistic even at the best of times. Undermining is what all oppositions do. Obama was no different or have you forgotten the attacks on his legitimacy too, some of which Trump himself waded in on by the way, because the truth is that Donald Trump is not a very nice guy. As KK says, the number of people who vote for a party doesn't necessarily legitimise what the leader stands for. 70 million is just under a third of eligible voters in the USA. A good number of those voters are people who always vote Republican no matter who leads.

There was no doubt around the guy that took the speaker's podium. He was photographed carrying it in the Capitol Building and he put it on Ebay. He is a carpenter by trade apparently. Clearly valued the cut of the woodwork lol Just to add though, I am sure that most of the people who entered the building really didn't think they were breaking the law or would be rounded up and charged afterwards. The people who killed a Police Officer with a fire extinguisher, probably didn't march up there intending to murder a Police Officer, or those who seriously crushed another. I am sure the woman who was shot dead didn't think she was going to die trying to get into the main chamber. It is the disconnect from any idea of consequence for those however many minutes or hours of madness, that is hard understand. It reminds me of when people rioted and looted for days after the shooting of Mark Duggan. Hundreds were traced and charged and mostly made examples of. I suspect the same will be true here.

There are actually very few conditions that would render a person exempt. Most people not wearing masks have no reason for exemption. But while there is no requirement to get written proof or certification, the policy is unenforceable. My view is that if a store is not taking reasonable steps to limit the chances of viral spread, don't shop there.

Some will get more serious charges than others I would think. Just walking in through an open door is not the same as smashing it down. Only those at the front smashed it down, if you get my drift. The guy who took the speakers podium however, did then go and list it on Ebay. So I guess he can be charged with theft as well lol.

Newsnight last week talked to a haulage spokesperson who explained that export paperwork that took an hour before we left, now takes about five hours. Even if that is an exaggeration, it still signals an increase in costs that have to be passed on somewhere.

Here is a more balanced overview of the situation. COVAX is the arrangement that will be offered to all governments struggling to fund/ procure for vaccination programs. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/03/palestinians-excluded-from-israeli-covid-vaccine-rollout-as-jabs-go-to-settlers

Quite KK. If Hamas started putting the welfare of the people they govern first over ideological hatred then maybe the vaccine would get to their people at the same rate as the rest of the world. But no-one ever wants to discuss the role of Hamas in any of this. Edited to add, that there are going to be many examples of wealthier countries getting vaccines first, while poorer countries wait. That is the context in which to have this conversation, over singling out Israel.

Sorry but I ask you again, who is the government of Gaza? It is Hamas. Have they made any effort to procure vaccine? Either by direct ordering, asking for help from neighbours or aid organisations? While there is much to criticise Israel for, given that they ARE vaccinating Palestinians that come under Israeli healthcare, you are bending the truth.

That statement he put on the POTUS twitter shows he is not backing down. Even if they impeach him so that he can't stand again in 2024, there are his kids or some other stooge he can push. I suspect Trump is not going anywhere, but will become like Alex Jones, someone existing in the social media shadows, creating his own media platforms and causing as much mayhem as he can. It is going to be a rough ride for America I fear.

Trump now permanently banned from Twitter.

Well is Hamas responsible for the procurement of vaccine for its people or not? Why are they not procuring vaccine? Israel is vaccinating Palestinians that are in Israel and fall under the responsibility of Israel healthcare systems which are semi-private anyway, so it is just not true to argue that they are prejudicing Palestinians per se.