5 things to know for January 12: Capitol riot, fundraiser, Covid-19, death row, Cuba

The Capitol riot is shaking the world of political fundraising, as big companies like Google, Coca-Cola and UPS have promised to suspend contributions in all areas. Other companies are focusing on lawmakers who consider them complicit in Trump’s effort to prevent Biden’s electoral victory from being affirmed. Public relations and lobbyists wonder whether the unrest is temporary or represents permanent political change. More companies are also creating policies in response to last week’s violence. GoFundMe says it will no longer allow people to raise funds for travel expenses used for potentially violent political events, and Airbnb says it will try to prevent violent Capitol demonstrators from making reservations in the DC area during the inauguration. Parler, the social media app that serves as a safe space for the far right, sued Amazon for deplatform, claiming that the app encourages and incites violence.

We will not end social distance anytime soon. The World Health Organization has warned that collective immunity will not happen in 2021 and social distance measures will need to be maintained “until the end of this year”, despite the progress of the vaccine. In the USA, more than 200,000 new cases of coronavirus have been reported every day for a week. In the UK, health officials say the country is entering the “worst point” of the pandemic, as cases increase and deaths increase. Malaysia announced further restrictions and South Africa closed its land borders to contain the spread. At the San Diego Zoo, there is a new complication: at least two gorillas tested positive for Covid-19, the first known cases among great apes.

A federal judge suspended the execution of Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, just hours before her scheduled death. Montgomery, who was sentenced to death in 2008 after murdering a woman and kidnapping her fetus, will now be subject to a competent hearing. Montgomery was one of three people scheduled to die by federal execution for the remainder of President Trump’s term. The Trump administration revived the federal death penalty last year. Until then, there have been no federal executions since 2003. Since July, the federal government has executed 10 people, more than in any presidency since 1896.

The Trump administration has designated Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism, which complicates any efforts by the future Biden government to repair relations with the former Cold War enemy. President Obama removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2015, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the new designation was given to “repeatedly support acts of international terrorism in providing safe havens to terrorists”. An important Cuban called the action a hypocrite and an act of “political opportunism”. Cuba now joins three other countries on the list: Iran, North Korea and Syria.

It is good to see that underdogs come out on top sometimes.

Very clear. You need your summer Crocs and your winter Crocs, your walking Crocs and your gardening Crocs … It’s a spectrum.

If anyone can launch an energy drink brand, it’s The Rock.

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You just have to convince yourself that the vaccine is worth it: forget about eating because you’re nervous, pass out in the nurse’s chair and have to chew cookies and juice for 15 minutes until they let you out.

That is the proportion of Americans who would be able to cover an unexpected $ 1,000 expense, according to a new report by Bankrate.com. That dropped from 41% in 2020.

Thrill with the cinematic suspense of watching baby ducklings climb a short flight of stairs. (Click here to view.)