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Rudy Giuliani, former advisor to President Trump, in talks to cooperate with Jan. 6 committee

According to an exclusive New York Times report, Rudolph Giuliani — the attorney and former adviser to President Donald Trump — is in discussions with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and may agree to answer their questions.

Giuliani indicated through his lawyer that he’s less hostile to investigative efforts than some of the other members of Trump’s circle. His cooperation could provide a major breakthrough in the panel’s investigation. Sources say that Giuliani was discussing whether to give investigators a formal deposition or an informal interview, and he may also seek to block some information from questioning by invoking attorney-client privilege with Trump.

The House panel subpoenaed Giuliani last month, alongside three other Trump aides — attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, and former campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn. Previous reports indicate that Giuliani was a key player in a plan to seize voting machines in the weeks after the election using the Department of Homeland Security. Giuliani also faces a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which states that he spread baseless claims that the company attempted to help Joseph Biden steal the 2020 election.

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No survivors found after small plane crash near Kansas airport

Authorities said that no survivors were found after a small plane crashed near an airport in Kansas on Sunday. Olathe Fire Department Capt. Mike Hall said they were called to the scene at 10:20 a.m., where they found a single-engine plane “fully engulfed” in flames in a field north of Johnson County Executive Airport. The plane, a Piper Meridian Turbo Prop, was en route to Albuquerque. Kansas Highway Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Tiffany Bush said the plane looked like it could seat about five or six people but it was unclear how many people were on board.

The plane was attempting to take off at the time of the crash but slammed into the ground and burst into flames; the flames then sparked a small grass fire a few acres wide, which firefighters extinguished. The runway remained closed Sunday afternoon, but was planning to reopen once the National Transportation Safety Board removed the wreckage.

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Caroline Polachek shares video for new song “Billions”

Caroline Polachek has shared a new single titled “Billions,” co-produced by Polachek and Danny L Harle. The song comes with a new visual co-directed by Polachek and Matt Copson.   “Billions” is Polachek’s second new solo track within the last year, following last summer’s “Bunny Is a Rider.”

Polachek said of ‘Billions’ in a statement:  “The overabundance of this world overwhelms me. Sometimes it seems like ultimate tragedy, the earth being pillaged and destroyed for it. Sometimes it seems pre-human, beyond morality, sublime. I don’t pick sides, I just live here, with you. How does it feel, being so rich?” The new single will be part of a 7″ vinyl with a B-side featuring a rework of Polachek’s recent Oneohtrix Point Never collaboration ‘Long Road Home’.

Take a look at the video for “Billions” – here.

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Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran release ‘The Joker & the Queen’ remix

Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift have teamed up for a remix of Sheeran’s “The Joker And The Queen”.  The song marks Ed and Taylor’s fourth official collaboration, following “Everything Has Changed” (2012), “End Game” (2017) and “Run (Taylor’s Version)” (2021).

The original version of ‘The Joker And The Queen’ is featured on Sheeran’s latest album ‘=’ which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.  In the official video for the song, directed by Emil Nava, the storyline from the “Everything Has Changed” video continues (that song was Ed and Taylor’s previous 2012 collaboration).  The video for ‘The Joker And The Queen’ features the original actors portraying now 18-year-old Ava and Jack, as they embark on new adventures.

Watch the new music video ‘The Joker And The Queen’ – here.

Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift Prove ‘Everything Has Changed’ With ‘The Joker and the Queen’ Sequel

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Senate passes bill to end forced arbitration in sex harassment cases in the workplace

On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill barring forced arbitration in workplace sexual harassment cases. The measure, which the House had overwhelmingly passed earlier this week, will go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The bill bars employment contracts from forcing people to settle sexual assault or harassment cases through arbitration rather than in court, a process that often benefits employers and keeps misconduct allegations from becoming public.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sponsored the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. Gillibrand said in a press statement: “I am thrilled to announce that the historic Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act has passed the Senate and is now headed to President Biden’s desk,” adding that the bill is “one of the most significant workplace reforms in the last 50 years and is a major step forward toward changing a system that uses secrecy to protect perpetrators and silence survivors.”

Graham said in a statement: “I’m very pleased the Senate has now joined the House of Representatives in passing this important legislation and sending it to President Biden’s desk to sign into law. The days of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases being buried in unfair arbitration clauses are now over.”

The legislation would invalidate existing forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts that prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment survivors from seeking justice and public accountability under the laws meant to protect them.

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Jan. 6 House select committee discovers gaps in White House call logs

The Jan. 6th House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol stated there are gaps in the phone logs provided by the White House on the day of the riot.

Those familiar with the probe said on Thursday that the phone records show no entries of calls to, or from, former President Donald Trump via the White House switchboard despite numerous reports he spoke to lawmakers in the house after the beginning of the attack.  Records also do not indicate there was any tampering with the call logs; it is widely known that Trump often used his personal cellphone, or those belonging to his aides, to make and receive such calls. Sources said the logs show no phone calls for multiple hours after Trump returned to the Oval Office after he gave a speech on the 2020 presidential election at the Ellipse. Supporters who attended the speech marched from the park near the White House to the U.S. Capitol, where they attempted to interrupt Congress’ certification of the electoral votes.

The gaps in call  logs comes on the heels of scrutiny Trump is facing for allegedly violating the Presidential Records Act by ripping up paper records during his time in office. The National Archives and Records Administration confirmed last month that some of the records turned over to the Jan. 6 committee had been torn and taped back together. Some records that had been torn and not reconstructed were also presented to lawmakers.

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Willow drops out of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” tour due to ‘production limitations’

Willow announced on social media she is dropping out of Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever tour.  The 21-year-old told fans on Twitter: “Due to production limitations, I am unable to put on the show that I believe you all deserve. Stay Safe, I love you all and I will see you soon!”

Willow was originally set to perform as Eilish’s opening act on 11 dates of the North American leg. Her run was slated to begin on February 9 and end on  March 8, including two nights at Madison Square Garden. Other openers set to appear for Eilish’s tour, include: Tkay Maidza, Duckwrth, Jessie Reyez, Jungle, Arlo Parks, and Girl in Red.

Eilish has not commented publicly on Willow’s last-minute exit; as of press time, a replacement act has not been announced.

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The Chainsmokers to headline official pre-Super Bowl tailgate party on TikTok

The Chainsmokers will headline the NFL TikTok Tailgate, streaming live on the TikTok ahead of Super Bowl LVI. It’s the second year the NFL has partnered with TikTok to host the official Super Bowl pregame celebration.

The one-hour show will stream live from the TikTok @NFL account on Sunday, Feb. 13, starting at 11:55 a.m. Pacific. In addition to The Chainsmokers, the lineup will include special guests from the NFL, TikTok creators and other live musical performances. Portions of The Chainsmokers’ performance will be televised in NBC’s Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show.

The Chainsmokers said in a statement: “It was an honor to perform our single ‘High’ for the first time in our hometown stadium at halftime of the NFC Championship. We are so excited to be returning once again to the SoFi Stadium campus to headline the NFL TikTok Tailgate on Sunday before Super Bowl LVI! After two years off the map, we couldn’t be more grateful to the NFL for this opportunity. We can’t wait to see you there.”

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N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul lifts the state’s COVID-19 ‘vaccine-or-mask’ rule

On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the state’s “vaccine-or-mask” requirement for indoor businesses, citing “major improvement” in COVID-19 numbers.  Gov. Hochul said in a briefing that the rule — which mandates that workers either be vaccinated against the coronavirus or wear a mask at all times while on the job — will be dropped effective Thursday, January 10th.

Gov. Hochul said that since the peak of the Omicron surge on Jan. 7 when 90,000 state residents tested positive in a single day, “we’ve witnessed a 93% drop in cases and are now below where we were [before the surge]. That is what we were watching for, that is what we were waiting for, and it’s finally happening.”  Hochul instituted the mask-or-vaccine rule on Dec. 10 amid a surge in cases driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant.  The rule faced widespread criticism from the state’s businesses and political opponents, who asserted it was confusing.  Despite that, Hochul extended the mandate twice, and as she announced its lifting she defended her stance, saying: “we saw how quickly Omicron was spreading, studying what was happening around the globe and saying this was coming our way — we know this is coming to New York and we need to be prepared for that. It was a strong action to take at the time — we heard a lot about it. But I again stand behind that as a way to not have to shut down businesses when this variant ended up spreading like wildfire.”  When the mask-or-vaccine rule was implemented on December 10th, New York’s seven-day average of new cases stood at 51 per 100,000 residents, peaking at 382 per 100,000 a month later.  It has now dropped to 35 per 100,000, according to state health officials.

However, New York schools are still under a mask mandate until at least Feb. 21.  On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said his mandate for schools will end in March, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said he recommends ending the statewide mask mandate in schools effective February 28.

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Second guilty plea made in alleged kidnapping plot of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

On Wednesday, a second man charged in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded guilty and agreed to testify for the prosecution at the federal trial of four other defendants.

27-year-old Kaleb Franks of Waterford, Michigan admitted in U.S. District in Grand Rapids that he and other members of the ‘Wolverine Watchmen’ — a Michigan-based self-styled “militia” group — hatched the plot to abduct Whitmer at her summer home in 2020 because they were upset by the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. The plot, which allegedly included plans to use semiautomatic assault-type weapons and to bomb a bridge near Whitmer’s vacation home, was foiled by undercover law enforcement officers who infiltrated the group.

Franks admitted in court that the kidnapping plan originated solely with him and the others charged in the conspiracy.  25-year-old Ty Garbin, the other man charged in the case, pleaded guilty last year to firearms charges and conspiracy charges of providing material support for terrorists. Garbin was sentenced in August to 75 months in prison. Garbin is also expected to testify for the prosecution in the upcoming federal trial for Adam Fox, 40, Barry Croft Jr., 45, Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta, 33.  In addition, eight other men face charges in state court stemming from the kidnap plot. Attorneys for those suspects filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing they were entrapped; the judge, however, rejected that motion.

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