Bagpipes for a Bard’s Birthday

R.O. Blechman is an artist and illustrator. His new double-volume book, “On the One Hand” and “On the Other Hand,” will be published this spring.

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Cori Bush Tells Republican Officials Refusing to Go Through Metal Detectors: Find Another Job

New safety measures, including metal detectors and possible pat-downs, have been put in place at the U.S. Capitol after a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the building last Wednesday. But not all members of Congress are pleased with the changes. As House representatives entered the chamber yesterday evening to vote on a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to strip Donald Trump of his presidential powers via the 25th Amendment, some Republicans refused to walk through the detectors.

To this, newly elected representative Cori Bush, a Democrat, had some advice: Find a new job.

Speaking to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Bush said, “First of all, we’re talking about your job. Let’s just look at it from the most basic level: If you work at McDonald’s, you have to wear the uniform or you’re not working today. Wherever you are, you’re told, ‘This is what you have to do. This is what you have to do. Or you’re not working.’ Have they ever had a job before?”

She later added, “That’s a bunch of bullcrap. Again, that is them trying to push the limits as far as they can. We have Congress members who have said that they want to carry their guns on the House floor. We have Congress members who bring their guns to our office buildings. This is where we should feel safe, but you’re bringing your guns to the office building. I don’t feel safe around that. Many people don’t feel safe with that. And you know what? If they won’t abide by the simple things this job calls for, then go find another one.”

UAE Suspends Visa-Free Travel Agreement for Israelis Until July

The United Arab Emirates has suspended an agreement to inaugurate visa-free travel for Israelis to the Gulf country until July 1, citing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

Until then, Israeli citizens seeking to travel to the UAE will need to obtain a visa, as will UAE citizens seeking to travel to Israel, the ministry said on Monday. The UAE has taken a similar step regarding travel from most European countries, as well as India and Pakistan, the Israeli ministry said.

Israel is in its third lockdown and discussing the possibility of extending it beyond Jan. 21 as the number of new cases remains high.

The UAE ratified the agreement on visa-free travel with Israel last week and it was set to go into effect 30 days from then. The agreement follows a normalization accord between the countries signed in September.

The announcement of the suspension comes a day after Israel’s cabinet voted to require all people returning from the UAE and Brazil to quarantine in government-run hotels. A similar decision made previously regarding travelers returning from South Africa and Zambia was extended for 10 days.

Donald Trump’s Final Flight Out Of D.C. Gets The New Yorker Treatment

The New Yorker bids farewell to President Donald Trump with its new cover.

Trump is carried away by a bald eagle — America’s national bird — in artist Barry Blitt’s illustration for the magazine’s Jan. 25 issue.

Blitt’s artwork, below, is titled: “A Weight Lifted.”

Twitter users cheered Blitt’s latest front page illustration for the publication:

It joins Blitt’s other pieces documenting the Trump White House:

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Donald Trump’s Years Of Violent Rhetoric Laid Bare In Damning Supercut

A montage aired on MSNBC Thursday put President Donald Trump’s history of violent rhetoric on full display.

The supercut shown on “The Beat with Ari Melber” featured footage of the pro-Trump mob of rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Dubbed over the images were multiple segments of audio in which Trump called on his supporters at rallies to attack protesters and promised to take back the country.

“Years of Trump’s violent rhetoric led to his supporters sieging Capitol Hill,” the show captioned the clip.

Watch the montage here:

RELATED…

Correction: House Approves Resolution To Remove President Trump Through 25th Amendment

Correction: House Approves Resolution to remove President Trump through 25th Amendment

CCI plans to export ten lakh bales of cotton

India, Bangladesh may ink MoU.

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) plans to export at least 10 lakh bales of cotton during the current season.

Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, CMD of CCI, told The Hindu it had procured almost 85 lakh bales of cotton at minimum support price (MSP) since the beginning of the current cotton season (October 2020-September 2021). With cotton prices rising, the CCI had reduced the purchases at MSP.

Better prices

“The farmers are getting better prices,” he said.

“Hence, CCI’s daily purchase has dropped to 40,000 to 50,000 bales a day from about two lakh bales a day a few weeks ago,” he added.

The CCI is active mainly in Telangana and Maharashtra. It will continue to be present in the market till the end of the season. Of the cotton procured so far, it had sold 12 lakh bales to the domestic textile sector.

The CCI has till now exported about 25,000 bales. It is looking at a minimum of 10 lakh bales for export this season, a majority of which would be to Bangladesh.

The governments of India and Bangladesh are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding in this regard. There could be exports to other countries through merchant exporters, Mr. Agarwal added.