News of the World

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Bolsonaro Supporters Breach Brazil’s Congress Building, Presidential Palace

A crowd of protesters broke through security blockades and breached the buildings of the nation’s Congress, Supreme Court, and the presidential palace in Brasilia on Jan. 8, according to videos from local broadcasters and groups related to Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Footage and photographs from the scene showed protesters inside the presidential palace and smashing furniture in Congress and the Supreme Court. The three buildings are linked by the spacious Three Powers Square in Brasilia, the nation’s capital.

Recently-inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula Silva was on a trip to San Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state, when the breach occurred.

Mass protests have persisted in Brazil since the outcome of the national election on Oct. 30 last year. Bolsonaro’s supporters doubt the authenticity of the results. They have blockaded major roads across Brazil and demanded that the military step in to intervene.
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Security forces appeared to have taken control of the Supreme Court and Congress buildings by 5:30 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters remained in and around the Congress building.

Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida two days prior to the end of his term. In Twitter messages hours prior to the reports of the breach in Brasilia, he wrote about the achievements of his administration.

Kevin McCarthy Credits Trump for His House Speaker Win

I do want to especially thank President [Donald] Trump. I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning.

He was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was—I was just talking to him tonight—helping get those final votes.

What he’s really saying—really for the party and the country—that we have to come together.

We have to focus on the economy. We’ve got to focus, make our border secure. We got to do so much work to do, and he was a great influence to make that all happen. So thank you, President Trump.

But who were those that made it possible for him to become the new speaker?  

In the final vote, six remaining Republican holdouts all voted “present,” paving the way for McCarthy’s victory with 216 votes, while Democrat leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York received 212 votes.

The six House Republicans were Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).

McCarthy Reveals 1st Bill After Being Elected House Speaker

Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says that the first bill he wants to see passed is one to cut back funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, following a several-day-long fight over the speaker’s gavel.
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) in a recent letter said there’s legislation that’s “ready to go” that Republicans will bring to the House floor during the first two weeks of 2023. The Treasury Department estimated that in 2021, a nearly $80 billion investment in the IRS would allow the agency to hire about 86,852 full-time IRS employees—not agents—over the course of a decade.
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They’ve argued that the IRS would target Americans with more and more audits to fund large spending packages that have recently passed Congress.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in 2022 that new funding will allow the agency to modernize and move away from antiquated computer systems, over-reliance on paper filings, and relying too much on paper mail.

Biden Arrives at Border for First Time as President

Biden is due to spend a few hours in the Texas city, currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, and is expected to meet with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increased trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which are driving skyrocketing numbers of overdoses in the United States. Footage released on Sunday afternoon showed Biden exiting Air Force One after the plane arrived at the El Paso International Airport.

Biden will visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the United States. It is not clear whether Biden will talk to any migrants, according to officials.
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“El Paso rushes to remove illegal immigrants and migrant camps that are crowding downtown before Biden arrives. Predictable,” Abbott wrote on Twitter Saturday. “Biden does not want America to see the chaos that he has caused on the border. This is just a photo op and a game of pretend.”
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People who do not come to the United States under that program [involving Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela] can be expelled back to Mexico via Title 42, which was allowed to remain for the time being after a Supreme Court decision several weeks ago. These latest moves drew condemnation from left-wing, pro-immigration groups.
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From El Paso, Biden will continue south to Mexico City, where he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.

Man Arrested After Alleged Terror Incident at Vegas Power Plant

A man is facing terrorism-related charges after he allegedly rammed his car through a gate at a solar power plant near Las Vegas, set the car on fire, and disabled the facility, according to police.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that its Counter Terrorism division identified the suspect as 34-year-old Mohammed Mesmarian, local media outlets reported.

Mesmarian was taken to the Clark County Detention Center and was charged with committing an act of terrorism, first-degree arson, third-degree arson, destroying or injuring real or personal property, and escape by a felony prisoner, police told local media outlets.

“Mesmarian clarified he burned the Toyota Camry a couple of days ago,” Las Vegas Police said, 8NewsNow reported. “Mesmarian [said] he burned the vehicle at a Tesla solar plant and did it ‘for the future.’”

An employee at the facility told the media outlet that the fire caused “major damage,” estimating that it would take two years to receive replacement parts. The damaged unit was shut down and isn’t producing electricity at this time, officials told the outlet.

Investigators told the channel that they believe Mesmarian siphoned gasoline from his vehicle and placed gas on wires at the transformer before setting them on fire. Security camera footage was also released, allegedly showing the suspect lighting his car on fire near the transformer.

Damage was done to the Mega Solar Array facility, which provides power to MGM properties, including its hotels.

Well,  if he ever cared about the future, why didn't he work in some place where they could find new ways to produce energy?

Ashli Babbitt’s Mother Arrested Outside US Capitol

The mother of Ashli Babbitt—Micki Witthoeft—was detained near the U.S. Capitol on Friday afternoon and was charged with violating two Capitol traffic regulations.

The detainment took place during a demonstration on the second anniversary of the death of Babbitt and three other Americans on Jan. 6, 2021. Witthoeft, 58, told The Epoch Times she was there to honor her daughter, who died two years ago after being shot by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Lt. Michael Byrd.

Witthoeft was arrested around 1:45 p.m. local time by officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and charged with having violated two traffic regulations (pdf)—§16.3.20 Obey An Order, and §16.3.40 Blocking And Obstructing Roadways, the USCP announced in a release.
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The USCP stated that the group “did not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol Grounds.”
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“When I did not move out of the road, I was arrested and cuffed up by a really angry, aggressive Capitol Police officer, who left wounds on my arm from handcuffing me.”

Video posted to Twitter from News2Share producer Ford Fischer showed that Capitol Police Lt. Ryan Schauf was the officer who arrested Witthoeft.
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Following the officer’s remarks, Witthoeft was seen handing the rose she was holding to the woman. She then turned her back to the officers and held two hands behind her back, as though ready to be handcuffed.
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Babbitt’s death was ruled a homicide. Paul Sperry and RealClearInvestigations in late 2021 identified Byrd as the person who shot Babbitt prior to her death.

The deaths of Greeson and Phillips were determined to be due to natural causes. Meanwhile, Boyland’s death was ruled as an accident, but video unsealed in December 2021 showed that she was struck by a police officer prior as she lay unconscious near the Capitol building.