>DOUGH
https://twitter.com/CarymaRules/status/1489688140294103049
The party mood is back, complete with DJ, dancing, and a soccer ball. #cdnpoli #antivaxxers #OttawaOccupation
how masonic is this clown parade kek
https://twitter.com/CarymaRules/status/1489309741088055297
If nothing else, it makes sense that her Romana Didulo showed up in a toque and jeans. That’s how one might expect the Queen of Canada to dress.
But really, she couldn’t find a purple scarf? That’s just lazy.
>clown parade
>Ottawa Police working with federal intelligence agencies for 'enhanced intelligence operations' against freedom convoy
They're looking for antifa right?
Ottawa City Council: "We need cut off the pipeline of funding to these… mercenaries that are unlawfully protesting and occupying our communities."
>"We need cut off the pipeline of funding to these… mercenaries that are unlawfully protesting and occupying our communities."
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1489698810179866631
#Toronto is preparing for a convoy for freedom protests.
RNC voted to formally censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their involvement with the January 6 panel.
Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder nominated to the #Gazprom Board of Directors.
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1489576100569174024
Coverage of the #Beijing Winter Olympics begins.
>Coverage of the #Beijing Winter Olympics begins.
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/tow-truck-companies-rejecting-ottawa-police-request-for-help-source-1.5768436
Tow truck companies rejecting Ottawa police request for help: source
Local towing companies are rejecting Ottawa police requests for help towing ‘Freedom Convoy’ trucks out of the downtown core, according to a senior police source.
The source told CTV News Ottawa that even if police decided to tow the trucks from the downtown streets they have been clogging up for the past week, they wouldn’t have enough tow trucks to do it.
Police outreach to tow truck companies across the city has been rebuffed, the source said.
The source said police are considering launching a criminal investigation into whether intimidation of the tow truck companies is leading to their lack of cooperation with police.
Police would only have access to city-owned tow trucks used for OC Transpo buses, of which there are a limited number.
Asked about the concern on Friday, Mayor Jim Watson said that information had not been brought to him, but the city has its own fleet of tow trucks.
“All contingency plans are being worked on,” he told CTV News on Friday. “The city has a number of heavy industrial tow trucks as well, so there’s that availability, plus other companies that the city deals with on a pretty regular basis.”
Ottawa Police Deputy Chief Steve Bell said Friday there are between 200 and 250 trucks parked in the downtown core.
Police expect another 300 to 400 truck drivers to try making their way downtown this weekend, but they are setting up roadblocks and planning to direct the truckers to parking spots outside the core.
Until now, the police strategy with the remaining truckers was primarily one of negotiation. That succeeded in reducing their numbers throughout the week.
Friday morning, police said they are adopting a “surge and contain strategy,” which includes sending 150 more officers to affected neighbourhoods and barricading the protest “red zone” to cut off people who want to drive downtown.
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-police-launch-surge-and-contain-strategy-at-freedom-convoy-protest-1.5767296
Ottawa police launch 'surge and contain' strategy at 'Freedom Convoy' protest
Ottawa police say they are stepping up measures to protect downtown neighbourhoods as the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest reaches the one-week mark.
Chief Peter Sloly announced a new “surge and contain strategy” Friday that he said would "restore order, hold offenders to account and protect our neighbourhoods."
The strategy includes sending 150 more officers to affected neighbourhoods to target unlawful behaviour connected to the ongoing occupation, which is a protest against COVID-19 mandates.
"The surge will deliver a clear message to the demonstrators: the lawlessness must end," Sloly said.
The new measures also include barricading the protest “red zone” using hundreds of concrete and heavy-equipment barricades, cutting off access to the downtown core for more vehicles. Sloly said this will further isolate and contain the demonstration.
Incoming vehicles will be directed to designated parking zones outside the downtown core, and vehicles parked illegally will be ticketed and towed. Police said they may close highways, interprovincial bridges and major roadways to keep vehicles out of downtown. The city released a full list of road closures Friday afternoon.
Deputy Chief Steve Bell said police are expecting 300 to 400 trucks to try to enter the downtown core throughout the weekend, along with up to 2,000 people on foot. He also said police are expecting about 1,000 counter-protesters.
Bell said he understands residents' frustration, but asked counter-protesters not to come downtown this weekend.
"We would like to not have that to be another dynamic we have to manage," he said. "Let us successfully work to restore the trust and confidence in the police, restore feelings of safety and security in the neighbourhood, by being able to deploy our resources."
There are about 200 to 250 trucks parked in the city right now, he said.
Police say they have also increased efforts to identify protesters who are funding and enabling unlawful activity.
“The hatred, violence, and illegal acts that Ottawa residents and businesses have endured over the last week is unacceptable in any circumstance,” Sloly said.
“The current occupation of the Parliamentary Precinct remains unresolved despite significant success in reducing the number of trucks/demonstrators while preventing riots, injuries and death. We take no solace in these operational successes," he added.
The demonstrators, he said, "remain highly organized, well-funded, and extremely committed to resisting efforts to end the demonstration safely. This remains a very volatile and very dangerous demonstration.”
The police force is facing growing criticism from downtown residents who say they have faced noise, harassment and other disturbances. Sloly said he understands there's "a range of opinion" on the force's response, but they have learned from the past week.
"We need to do better. We're committed to doing better," he said. "We have learned from our experience. We have gathered new evidence."
>Former Vice President Mike Pence says he had "no right to overturn the election," directly rebutting Donald Trump's false claims that Pence somehow could have done something to prevent Joe Biden from taking office.
Defence diplomacy in the United States of America | they/them
https://twitter.com/CAFinUS/status/1489637347876556801
You can spit and dance.
You can scream your intolerance.
But you will not stop our remembrance.
https://twitter.com/JCharronCTV/status/1487849094303424517
Today has not been easy. Protesters were mostly peaceful Saturday. Today has been different. Setting up for a live hit with @CP24 we were yelled at and swarmed by a group of protesters within seconds. We can’t get close without this happening. @ctvottawa @CTVNews
https://nypost.com/2022/02/04/kamala-harris-speechwriter-joins-list-of-resigning-staffers/
Kamala Harris speechwriter joins growing list of resigning staffers
The exodus of staffers from Vice President Kamala Harris’ office continues, with the head of her speechwriting team jumping ship at the end of this month.
A White House official told Fox News that Kate Childs Graham “is leaving the office, but not the family,” and added that Harris was “grateful for her service to the administration.“
“We are excited for her next step,” the official said, without elaborating.
Graham is the eighth high-ranking member of the VP’s staff to depart since this past summer amid complaints of low morale and a chaotic environment.
Harris Director of Advance Karly Satkowiak and her deputy, Gabrielle DeFranceschi, kicked off the wave of departures in June after Harris made a widely-panned visit to El Paso amid the ongoing surge of illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border.
At the time, a bombshell Politico report indicated that the decision to send Harris to the border had blindsided key staffers, including those responsible for travel arrangements.
One source familiar with DeFranceschi’s departure told the outlet that it came down to a “difference in opinion on how things should run,” suggesting that dissenting opinions were being ignored.
“People are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it’s an abusive environment. It’s not a healthy environment and people often feel mistreated. It’s not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s—,” another source told Politico, which cited 22 current and former Harris aides in its report.
A third official, Director of Digital Strategies Rajan Kaur, left the Harris office effective in July, reportedly because she did not wish to move to Washington DC from her home in Brooklyn.
After a few months of quiet, word came in November that communications director Ashley Etienne would step down to pursue “other opportunities.” Soon after, Harris adviser and chief spokeswoman Symone Sanders departed without announcing a new job. (She was later hired by MSNBC to be a weekend host.)
Last month, Director of Press Operations Peter Velz revealed he would be leaving his post to work on the Protocol team at the State Department.
“Today is my last day at the White House, and it truly has been an honor. I will be forever grateful to Vice President Harris, the incredible Team @VP, and I’m so proud of our work this past year supporting this historic Administration,” he wrote in a Twitter thread announcing his new job.
On the same day, Deputy Director of Public Engagement Vince Evans also revealed on social media he would be leaving the veep’s office to serve as the Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
>Kamala Harris speechwriter joins growing list of resigning staffers
Issues among Harris staff are not limited to her time as vice president.
During Harris’ presidential campaign – which ended with her dropping out shortly before the Iowa caucus – the New York Times published a resignation letter from Kelly Mehlenbacher, her state operations director, who claimed: “This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly.”
Mehlenacher pointed to the Harris campaign’s decision to lay off dozens of aides at its Baltimore headquarters as the “final straw in this very difficult decision.”
“It is unacceptable that we would lay off anyone that we hired only weeks earlier,” she wrote. “It is unacceptable that with less than 90 days until Iowa we still do not have a real plan to win.”
While last summer’s Politico report about mistreatment of staff appeared to echo Mehlenacher’s concerns, Harris’ office attempted to deflect the allegations.
“We are not making rainbows and bunnies all day,” Sanders said at the time.
“What I hear is that people have hard jobs and I’m like ‘welcome to the club,’” she added. “We have created a culture where people, if there is anything anyone would like to raise, there are avenues for them to do so. Whoever has something they would like to raise, they should raise it directly.”
In December of last year, another jaw-dropping report, this one in the Washington Post, described Harris as a “bully” boss with a “soul-destroying” management style.
One former staffer claimed Harris failed to read briefing materials, then lashed out at others when she was unprepared.
“It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” the staffer said. “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully, and it’s not really clear why.”
Amid the chaos within her own office late last year, Harris also reportedly faced turmoil in her working relationship with President Biden.
In November, reports emerged that Harris felt increasingly sidelined by the administration while the rapport with Biden had become an “exhausted stalemate.”
Harris quickly attempted to dispel the report, denying to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that she felt, as the anchor put it, “misused or underused.”
The vice president’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed last year that the departures from Harris’ office were “natural” and “a very positive thing.”
“Working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding but it’s also grueling and exhausting,” she said during a press briefing.
“If you look at past precedent, it’s natural for staffers who have thrown their heart and soul into a job to be ready to move on to a new challenge after a few years and that is applicable to many of these individuals,” she said.
Dozens of staffers remain in Harris’ office, but an exact count is hard to pin down since not all employees are listed under the White House’s public budget. Some salaries are paid by Harris’ Senate office or “borrowed” from federal agencies.
https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1489421001918083073
https://twitter.com/SHAQ
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/jeff-zucker-cnn-investigation-affair-cuomo-1294608/
CNN Probe Eyes Jeff Zucker’s Ties to Andrew Cuomo
The ongoing investigation, which exposed an affair that led to Zucker’s abrupt resignation yesterday, has unearthed possible improprieties during Cuomo’s tenure as governor of New York, sources tell Rolling Stone