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A former Long Island GOP congressman says the ‘lack of trust’ in embattled Rep. George Santos is a ‘prescription for disaster’

Peter KingFormer Rep. Peter King of New York.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

  • Former Rep. Peter King in a New York Times op-ed questioned the effectiveness of George Santos.
  • “How do committee witnesses take his questions seriously?” King wrote in the Times essay.
  • King argued that Santos could very well threaten the reelection bids of GOP members from New York.

Former GOP Rep. Peter King questioned the effectiveness of embattled Rep. George Santos in the halls of Congress and argued that the congressman’s controversies could very well threaten other Republican members from the Empire State in the 2024 election.

King, who represented a swath of Long Island from 1993 to 2021, stated in an op-ed piece for The New York Times, that he felt it would be tough for Santos to serve a full term given the level of trust that is needed in order to function in such a high-profile role.

“Every time he speaks, every time he asks a question, the media spotlight will be on him — putting shame on him and unwanted glare on the committee and the Republicans who put him there. How do committee witnesses take his questions seriously? How do committee members sit still for this guy in their midst?” King wrote.

“For a member of Congress to be effective, be it through legislation or committee work or deal-making or favor-trading or helping out a constituent, you have to have relationships. It’s very hard to get anything done alone,” he continued to say. “Having served in Congress for 28 years, I cannot imagine how Mr. Santos possibly thinks he can be effective as a member of the House, if he thinks about it at all. In modern politics, I can’t recall another freshman lawmaker who took office so completely lacking the trust and respect of his colleagues.”

King, a one-time chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, then took a swipe at Santos’ proclivity to falsify various aspects of his background, arguing that most members will largely steer clear of the Long Island lawmaker.

“Except perhaps for a few ineffective congressional outliers, I can’t imagine a member of either party working or cooperating with Mr. Santos,” the former congressman wrote. “And when you don’t have that, you’re just faking your way through the workday — something Mr. Santos is apparently pretty good at.”

Santos has refused to resign after a bombshell New York Times report revealed that he fabricated a large portion of his resume, including two fake degrees from Baruch College and New York University, both of which he never attended.

When Santos ran for Congress in both 2020 and 2022, he leaned on his work in the financial services sector to make a case for his election — highlighting his employment at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. However, neither company could locate any records of his employment at their respective financial institutions.

Last week, Santos was assigned to the House Small Business Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California has not called on Santos to resign, remarking that the citizens in his district voted to send him to the nation’s capital.

But back on Long Island, several top Republican leaders have called on him to step down.

“I do not know Mr. Santos, but it is hard to see him as anything other than delusional if he thinks he can function or that there is a result of his continued service beyond deepening his own shame,” King wrote in the op-ed.

Republicans currently have a slim 222-212 House majority, and King stated that the seats of vulnerable GOP members could be seriously jeopardized by Santos.

“Failure to do what’s morally and politically right could cause voters across New York to punish Republican officeholders in a presidential election year because the GOP did not find a way to dump Mr. Santos,” King wrote.

“As long as Mr. Santos remains in Congress, he is dead man walking and will be unable to get anything done for his constituents. For at least this one moment in his life, it is time for Mr. Santos to face reality, do the honorable thing and resign the seat in Congress,” he added.

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Super Nintendo World opens in Los Angeles next month with a Mario Kart-themed ride, gigantic Bowser statue, and Princess Peach cupcakes — take a look inside

A guest takes a photo with Mario during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. -A guest takes a photo with Mario during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. –

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

  • Super Nintendo World opens its doors to the public on February 17. 
  • The theme park, which is based in LA as part of Universal Studios, is the first of its kind outside of Japan. 
  • It includes Nintendo-themed rides, eateries, and interactive games. Take a look inside. 
Super Nintendo World is opening its much-anticipated first theme park outside of Japan next month in Los Angeles.Universal Studios Hollywood promotes their upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park addition on the Universal CityWalk on September 26, 2022 in Universal City, California. (Universal Studios Hollywood promotes their upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park addition on the Universal CityWalk on September 26, 2022 in Universal City, California. (

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images

The park is operated by Universal Studios Hollywood and officially opens its doors to the public Feb. 17 — just ahead of the forthcoming Super Mario Bros. animated film in April.Universal Studios Hollywood promotes their upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park addition on the Universal CityWalk on September 26, 2022 in Universal City, California.Universal Studios Hollywood promotes their upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park addition on the Universal CityWalk on September 26, 2022 in Universal City, California.

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images

One- and two-day general admission passes to the park start at $109 and $149, respectively. There are also VIP Experience passes available for $369.Guests walk towards the entrance during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests walk towards the entrance during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

The US version features many of the same elements of the original Super Nintendo World in Osaka, Japan.In this picture taken on March 17, 2021, fans of Universal Studio Japan pose at the entrance of the Super Nintendo World, during a media preview of the theme park in Osaka.In this picture taken in 2021, fans of Universal Studio Japan pose at the entrance of the Super Nintendo World, during a media preview at the theme park in Osaka.

Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Guests were invited to a preview of the park on January 13, where they wandered around what looks like a Super Mario Bros. game come to life.Guests explore during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests explore during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

The park is filled with mascots of fan-favorite Nintendo characters, like Mario and Luigi …Mario and Luigi are escorted through the crowd on their way to a break during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Mario and Luigi are escorted through the crowd on their way to a break during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

and Princess Peach.Guests take pictures with Princess Peach during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests take pictures with Princess Peach during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, on January 13.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

It also features rides like “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge” where guests can “battle Team Bowser on iconic Mario Kart courses alongside Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach.”Guests ride Super Mario Kart during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. -Guests ride Super Mario Kart during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. –

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

The attraction requires special Mario Bros.-themed goggles that allow riders to collect digital coins and throw shells, just like in Mario Kart video games.Special goggles needed for the Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge augmented reality ride are seen during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

The augmented reality ride includes mini sets like this featuring iconic imagery from the Super Mario Bros. games.Mini sets are seen inside the access area for the Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge ride during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Mini sets are seen inside the access area for the Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge ride during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

There’s even a giant statue of the infamous antagonist Bowser in all his glory.A statue of Bowser is seen at the entrance of the Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge ride during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.A statue of Bowser is seen at the entrance of the Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge ride during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Bowser makes a few appearances throughout the park.A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Super Nintendo World visitors can complete challenges, participate in interactive games, and collect digital coins using power-up bands, available for purchase around the park.A staff member stands by a poster of power-up bands during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.A staff member stands by a poster of power-up bands during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

Visitors also can play virtual games, such as this one.Guests play a virtual game during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests play a virtual game during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

The park also has a gift shop called the 1-Up Factory where visitors can pick up souvenirs depicting their favorite characters …Guests shop during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests shop during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

… like these Toad stuffed animals …A guest looks at a Toad toy on display in a store during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.A guest looks at a Toad toy on display in a store during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

… or this headband.A guest wears a Nintendo headband during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.A guest wears a Nintendo headband during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

If you’re hungry, you can stop by the Toadstool Cafe.Greeters await people for lunch at the Toadstool Cafe at Super Nintendo World on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA.Greeters await people for lunch at the Toadstool Cafe at Super Nintendo World on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA.

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The restaurant includes options like the Piranha Plant Caprese, a Mario Burger, and Princess Peach Cupcakes.Guests eat lunch at the Toadstool Cafe during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests eat lunch at the Toadstool Cafe during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

While wandering around the park, fans of the Nintendo game franchises will see familiar sights like Princess Peach’s castle …Guests walk by Princess Peach's castle during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.Guests walk by Princess Peachs castle during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

… Piranhas emerging from plumbing tubes and Goombas stomping the grounds …A Goomba and a piranha plant patrol the walls during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.A Goomba and a piranha plant patrol the walls during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

… classic power-up boxes …A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

… and even more beloved friends and foes.A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.A first look at the first-ever theme park land themed to a video game franchise at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“Visiting the theme park is like being in the video game,” Jon Corfino, vice president of Universal Creative, told Euronews.A guest takes a photo with Mario during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. -A guest takes a photo with Mario during a preview of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 13, 2023. –

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Euronews

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Chris Cuomo says he’s ’emotionally and psychologically beat up’ after being fired by CNN in new interview

Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on July 26, 2020.Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on July 26, 2020.

NewsNation/YouTube

  • Chris Cuomo spoke out about his ousting from CNN on the “No BS News Hour” podcast last week.
  • The anchor has landed high-profile interviews on his new show, but said “I’ll never be what I was.”
  • Cuomo still said he views CNN as the “best news organization in the world,” the New York Post reported.

Chris Cuomo is speaking out after his ousting from CNN more than a year ago, claiming “I’ll never be what I was” in an interview with the “No BS News Hour” podcast last week.

“I am emotionally and psychologically beat up and changed by what I went through,” Cuomo told podcast hosts Charlie LeDuff and Karen Dumas, as reported by the New York Post on Saturday. “My show is different because I am different, not that I was in some lefty silo.”

Cuomo was fired from CNN in December 2021, after he helped his brother and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo handle an array of public sexual misconduct accusations that led to the governor’s resignation. 

The former CNN anchor now hosts a flagship primetime show on the cable network NewsNation, where he’s recently landed high profile interviews with subjects like Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West

Cuomo told LeDuff and Dumas he wasn’t given the opportunity to say goodbye to his staff after CNN abruptly fired him, per the Post. But the news anchor still said he views CNN as the “best news organization in the world.”  

He further asserted that he never influenced news coverage of his brother after accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced, per the Post. 

“I never did anything to manipulate media coverage of my brother,” he told the podcast hosts. 

Cuomo added that the media fallout he experienced after being fired by CNN has changed the way he conducts his new show on NewsNation, the Post reported. 

“I’ll never be number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 on some bulls–t media power list. I’m okay with that,” he told LeDuff and Dumas. 

 

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A GOP-backed bill in Oklahoma would fine drag performers up to $20,000 and have them face up to 2 years in jail for performing in front of a minor

A drag queen who goes by the name Flame reads stories to children and their caretakers during a Drag Story Hour at a public library in New York, Friday, June 17, 2022.A drag queen who goes by the name Flame reads stories to children and their caretakers during a Drag Story Hour at a public library in New York, Friday, June 17, 2022.

Seth Wenig/AP

  • An Oklahoma bill would make it a felony punishable by a $20,000 fine for drag artists to perform in front of minors.
  • The bill by GOP Rep. Kevin West would also make it a misdemeanor for one to organize drag performances in public.
  • At least ten states have proposed legislation that targets drag performances, including drag queen story hours.

An Oklahoma bill would make it a felony punishable by up to a $20,000 fine for drag artists to perform in front of minors.

The bill would make it “unlawful for a person to engage in an adult cabaret performance” in public before a minor. The fine may fall in the range of $500 to $20,000, and it may also incur a prison sentence from 30 days to two years, according to the bill’s text. 

State GOP Rep. Kevin West, who filed House Bill 2186 on January 19, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. 

The bill also specifically named drag queen story hours as events that would be considered unlawful, as well as other forms of “adult cabaret” performances. It would also create a misdemeanor for anyone who organizes or authorizes such performances in public or in view of minors, threatening a fine of $500 to $1,000 and a maximum of a year in county jail. 

The bill compared drag performers to strippers and topless dancers, defining “drag queen” as a “male or female performer who adopts a flamboyant or parodic feminine persona with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup.”

One activist on Twitter also suggested that the wording may criminalize a woman displaying a “feminine persona” with heavy makeup around children, per Newsweek

The bill is scheduled to have its first reading in the Oklahoma House on February 6, per the Oklahoma legislature’s website. 

It follows a trend of similar legislation gaining traction nationwide to limit drag performances, such as in Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Missouri, Tennessee, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia, according to reporting by Newsweek and the ACLU. Drag story hours in California and North Carolina, and other states, have also been targeted by the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, over the past year. 

In October, a coalition of Republicans in the US House introduced a bill to “Stop the Sexualization of Children,” specifically targeting drag queen story hours as “sexually-oriented events,” Insider previously reported. The bill would give parents grounds to sue public entities that use federal tax dollars, such as public libraries, for “sexually explicit materials or programs.”

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California shooting upends tranquil community: “I don“t feel safe“

2023-01-22T21:06:03Z

Since she was a little girl, Li Xia’s dream was to move from China and settle in America. On Saturday night, when she heard the gunfire that killed at least 10 people in her newfound home of Monterey Park, California, that dream was shattered.

“In my heart, I always felt the United States was the best country in the world,” Xia, 50, said, just four months after leaving her home in Shenzhen Province to settle in the quiet enclave of Monterey Park close to Los Angeles.

“Now, I am so sad. I can’t believe it. I don’t want to stay here one more day. I don’t feel safe. I want to move back to China,” the retired math teacher said.

Monterey Park is part of a cluster of small cities that sit in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, all with a burgeoning Asian American community, mostly from China. The city of 60,000, where around 65% of residents are Asian, is consistently ranked as one of the best and most peaceful places to live in the United States.

On Sunday morning, after America’s latest mass shooting, this time of revelers celebrating Lunar New Year in a Monterey Park ballroom, residents gathered in small groups in stunned disbelief and dismay.

The massacre ended what had been the city’s first in-person celebration of the Lunar New Year in three years, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The three-day event, one of California’s biggest, is now canceled.

Vendors dismantled stalls on Sunday, while workers took apart a fairground.

The city’s motto is “Pride in the Past, Faith in the Future,” but for many the violence and horror of Saturday night has shaken that faith.

“We are all so sad. We were so excited to celebrate the new year. Now we will just be praying for the victims,” said Muohan Chi, 14. Police say five men and five women were killed, and 10 others injured in the attack.

Chi’s father, Jianzhong Chi, 35, said: “We just want this to end.”

The Monterey Park community is close knit, city leaders said. On Saturday night, Muohan Chi started receiving hundreds of messages about the massacre in a family and friends chat group on her phone. That included graphic pictures of victims sprawled on the ballroom floor, although Chi said she does not know who took them.

Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, stood close to the ballroom, surrounded by yellow police tape, armed officers and beneath the noise of police helicopters.

“It’s such a beautiful and quiet city,” Chong said. “People here all know each other, help each other. This is terrible.”

Related Galleries:

Police investigate the scene of a shooting that took place during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, in Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Allison Dinner

Flowers lay at the scene of a shooting that took place during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, in Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Allison Dinner

Li Xia, 50, who moved from her home in China four months ago to fulfil a childhood dream of living in the United States, poses in to Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 22, 2023. After Saturday’s gun massacre in the city, she says she now wants to move back to China. REUTERS/Tim Reid
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New Zealand“s incoming PM says he is “making haste“ on changes in priorities

2023-01-22T21:06:47Z

Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni attend a news conference after being confirmed as the new Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in Wellington New Zealand, January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Lucy Craymer

New Zealand’s incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday that his government would be “making haste” on reprioritising and looking at whether current policies need to be scaled down.

Hipkins appeared Monday on a number of New Zealand media after he was chosen on Sunday to replace Jacinda Ardern as head of the Labour party, thereby making him the country’s next prime minister.

Hipkins told TVNZ’s Breakfast on Monday that the government would be refocusing on “bread and butter issues” for New Zealand including inflation and would look at reining in other policies, without elaborating.

“We’ll be making haste on all of those issues,” Hipkins told a second morning programme the AM Show. “Within the next few weeks you’re going to see quite a lot of clarity around us about reprioritisation.”

Hipkins has a tough road ahead with Labour trailing the opposition in opinion polls and the country expected to fall into recession in the next quarter before a general election on Oct. 14, but he was looking on the bright side.

“I’m really optimistic, I’ve had a huge amount of support. And I think New Zealand are giving me a fair hearing,” Hipkins said on the programme.

Labour has pursued a number of policies that have been unpopular or seen as expensive by many voters, including the proposed merging of state-owned radio and television stations and an overhaul of ownership of the country’s water infrastructure.

Hipkins is expected to be sworn in as prime minister on Wednesday after Ardern officially resigns.

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Brazil declares emergency over deaths of Yanomami children from malnutrition

2023-01-22T21:18:03Z

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva looks on as he visits the Yanomami Indigenous Health House (CASA Yanomami) in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil January 21, 2023. Ricardo Stuckert/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Brazil’s ministry of health has declared a medical emergency in the Yanomami territory, the country’s largest indigenous reservation bordering Venezuela, following reports of children dying of malnutrition and other diseases caused by illegal gold mining.

A decree published on Friday by the incoming government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the aim of the declaration was to restore health services to the Yanomami people that had been dismantled by his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

In four years of Bolsonaro’s presidency, 570 Yanomami children died of curable diseases, mainly malnutrition but also malaria, diarrhea and malformations caused by mercury used by wildcat gold miners, the Amazon journalism platform Sumauma reported, citing data obtained by a FOIA.

Lula visited a Yanomami health center in Boa Vista in Roraima state on Saturday following the publication of photos showing children and elderly men and women so thin their ribs were visible.

“More than a humanitarian crisis, what I saw in Roraima was genocide: a premeditated crime against the Yanomami, committed by a government insensitive to suffering,” Lula said on Twitter.

The government announced food packages that will be flown to the reservation where some 26,000 Yanomamis live in a region of rainforest and tropical savanna the size of Portugal.

The reservation has been invaded by illegal gold miners for decades, but the incursions multiplied since Bolsonaro won office in 2018 promising to allow mining on previously protected lands and offering to legalize wildcat mining.

There are also signs that organized crime has become involved. In recent violent incidents, men on speed boats on the rivers have shot with automatic weapons at indigenous villages whose communities oppose the entry of gold miners.

Some gold miners have begun to leave, fearing enforcement operations by the Lula government, and appear to be heading across the border into neighboring Guyana and Suriname, said Estevao Senra, a researcher at Instituto Socioambiental, an NGO that defends indigenous rights.

Lula said the new government will put an end to illegal gold mining as it moves to crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon, which surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro.

“We must hold the previous government accountable for allowing this situation to get worse to the point where we find adults weighing like children, and children reduced to skin and bones,” said Sonia Guajajara, the first indigenous woman to be a cabinet minister, heading a new Ministry of Indigenous Affairs.

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Drake delivers nostalgia, teases new music at Apollo show

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s easy to forget how many hit songs Drake created in his nearly 15-year musical career. But he presented an emphatic reminder with an intimate concert at Harlem’s Apollo Theater on Saturday, his first-ever show at the legendary venue.

During the performance, the four-time Grammy winner teased that new music could be on the way, despite releasing two albums last year.

“I thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time, none of those things are stopping making music for you,” Drake told the doting crowd. “I hope I can strike up some more emotions for you, maybe this year — I might get bored and make another one.”

The first night of two Apollo weekend shows presented by SiriusXM, featured the 36-year-old ripping off songs at a frantic pace — most with just a verse and chorus — satisfying day-one fans with fan-favorite, deep non-radio cuts as well as those only familiar with his No. 1 hits. The recorded performances will air on Drake’s SiriusXM Sound 42 channel in the coming weeks.

Noting this was his first show in about five years and later stating “I’ll be out and about on the road a lot this year,” Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the U.S. last year told his captivated audience the show was about gratefulness.

“I wanted to make this a show about gratitude,” Drake said. “This is a little story we put together: my deep love for my family, for my dear friends and each and every one of you that have been supporting me for a long time.”

Donning cornrows in his hear while wearing baggy jeans and a blue and yellow Jimmy Brooks basketball jersey — a nod to his days as an actor on the teen drama series “Degrassi” — Drake opened the performance with “Over My Dead Body” as celebrity guests such as Justin and Hailey Bieber, former NBA MVP and current Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, NFL star Odell Beckham Jr., rappers A$AP Ferg and A Boogie wit da Hoodie watched.

Sitting on a bed positioned stage-right, modeled after his bedroom in his mom’s Toronto basement where he said he wrote songs, Drake belted out many of his down-tempo, B-side hits such as “Wu-Tang Forever,” “Trust Issues,” “Practice” and “Feel No Ways.”

He also sang his most popular deep cut, “Marvin’s Room,” as the standing-room only crowd joined him word-for-word before transitioning into his hook from Timbaland’s “Say Something” as the “Marvin’s Room” beat continued.

As the bedroom set dimmed and the light shifted to the left side of the stage, revealing a board room, Drake changed into a black leather hoodie with his OVO owl symbol. The rapper stood in front of a performer playing a record label exec who skeptically noted it was “interesting” he was a rapper from Canada, before saying, “Alright, let’s see what you got.” (Drake would later remind the crowd how every major record label in New York passed on him.)

Starting with “Best I Ever Had,” the R&B smash that jump-started his career, he continued his musical journey with early Young Money hits such as Headlines, “HYFR,” “Started From the Bottom” and “I’m on One.” The crowd also two-stepped to his more danceable records like “Massive” from last year’s “Honestly, Nevermind” project, as well as “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “One Dance,” “Passionfruit” and “In My Feelings.”

The final leg of the 90-minute set opened with a surprise performance by the popular early 2000s Harlem rap collective, The Diplomats, which featured Drake wearing Cam’ron’s signature pink hoodie and headband. He was then joined by 21 Savage to perform songs such as “Rich Flex,” “Spin Bout You” and “Knife Talk” from their joint project, “Her Loss,” released in November.

The longtime tagline for the Apollo is “Where Stars are Born and Legends are Made!” So it was either strategic or serendipitous that he ended the show with “Legend.” While it might be too soon to drape him with the legend moniker in the manner that Apollo Walk of Fame icons such Michael Jackson, Prince, Aretha Franklin James Brown carry, he left no doubt that he is well on his way.

___

Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at: @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

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Lawmakers seek to bar insurrectionists from holding office

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in a handful of states are trying to send a message two years after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol: Those who engage in an attempted overthrow of the government shouldn’t be allowed to run it.

New York, Connecticut and Virginia are among states where proposed legislation would prohibit anyone convicted of participating in an insurrection from holding public office or a position of public trust, such as becoming a police officer.

While the bills vary in scope, their aim is similar.

“If you’ve tried to take down our government through violent means, in no way should you be part of it,” New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said.

He is sponsoring a bill that would bar people convicted of engaging in an insurrection or rebellion against the United States from holding civil office, meaning they would not be able to serve as a judge or member of the Legislature. Hoylman-Sigal said he introduced the bill this year because he saw more people who were involved in the riot in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, running for office last year.

He described the assault on the Capitol as “a real attack on the foundations of our free and fair democracy and the values which enable that to persist.”

A Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill this month, on the second anniversary of the Capitol riot, that would prohibit anyone convicted of a felony related to an attempted insurrection or riot from serving in positions of public trust — including those involving policymaking, law enforcement, safety, education or health.

A Connecticut bill would prohibit people convicted of sedition, rebellion, insurrection or a felony related to one of those acts from running for or holding public office. Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, who introduced the measure, told The Associated Press that he wants the legislation eventually to bar them from holding state or municipal jobs.

The legislation in the states comes after the House Jan. 6 committee’s final report, which found Donald Trump criminally engaged in a conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election he lost and failed to take action to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.

The committee’s recently concluded work may have provided another springboard for lawmakers to act and propose ways to hold people accountable, said Victoria Bassetti, a senior policy adviser at States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for fair elections.

Some Republicans say the legislation is unnecessary.

In New York, Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay, the minority leader, called the bill there a “political statement,” saying it is “more political than it is a concern about public policy.”

He said existing rules already apply to people in certain positions who are convicted of crimes and that those laws “should be sufficient.”

The legislation is another example of how the Capitol riot has become a political Rorschach test in the country.

Many Republicans refuse to see the attempt to violently halt the presidential certification — which was based on lies that 2020 election was stolen — as an insurrection, while a strong majority of the party continues to believe that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected. Even students are being taught different versions of the attack, depending on whether they live in more conservative or liberal parts of the nation.

The opposing realities came into sharp focus this month in Pennsylvania during a fraught exchange between two lawmakers.

In a committee hearing, Republican state Sen. Cris Dush slammed his gavel as he ruled Democratic state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti out of order after she described the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as “the site of an insurrection.”

“Insurrection, nobody has been charged with that,” Dush said. “There’s not been a single charge against any of those people as insurrectionists. In this committee, we are not using that term.”

Nearly 1,000 people have been charged in the Capitol riot with federal crimes, with about half of them pleading guilty to riot-related charges and more than three dozen convicted at trial. The charges range from misdemeanors for those accused of entering the Capitol illegally but not participating in violence to felony seditious conspiracy for far-right extremist group members accused of plotting to stop the transfer of presidential power.

In November, two leaders of the Oath Keepers extremist group were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors alleged was a weekslong plot to use force to keep Trump in office. Leaders of the Proud Boys and additional members of the Oath Keepers are currently standing trial on the sedition charge, which carries up to 20 years behind bars.

Weeks after the committee exchange, Cappelletti told The Associated Press that it’s important to make sure people understand that the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection.

“These are factually correct things,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that we can’t disagree politically about policy or other things, but we can acknowledge that that happened and start to figure out how we move forward to work together to build up that public trust again.”

Dush remained steadfast in his view that what unfolded on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection.

“If there had been some sort of plot for an insurrection, that would’ve come apart quite quickly after the government got the control back,” he said in a phone interview.

There have been some earlier attempts to prevent certain officials from either running for or holding office.

A New Hampshire bill that would have barred anyone who participates in an insurrection or rebellion from holding office in the state died last year.

Also last year, groups brought lawsuits under a rarely cited section of the 14th Amendment dealing with insurrection. They sought to disqualify a handful of U.S. House members from seeking reelection for events surrounding the Jan. 6 riot.

In New Mexico, a state court in September disqualified a rural county commissioner from holding public office for engaging in the Capitol insurrection. Couy Griffin had been previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering the Capitol grounds, without going inside the building. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served.

The judge permanently barred Griffin, who was then an elected commissioner from Otero County, from federal and local public office.

In West Virginia, a former state lawmaker who pleaded guilty to a felony — civil disorder — for participating in the riot and who served time, announced earlier this month that he was running for Congress.

“We have to really rid ourselves of those who would take down our government,” said Duff, the Connecticut lawmaker. “There’s no place for any of them to be (in) any kind of elected or appointed officer.”

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Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.

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Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.

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Chiefs’ Henne delivers with Mahomes hobbled in playoff win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The experience is evident in the salt that peppers the beard of Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne.

The 37-year-old journeyman has hung around the league for nearly 15 years, his days as a starter in Miami and Jacksonville long distant memories. For the past five years, Henne has been little more than a backup quarterback for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, his job to hold clipboards and provide encouragement more so than to throw any passes.

It would’ve been easy to grow complacent over all that time. Yet the consummate professional has learned to be ready for anything, and anything happened in the first half of Saturday night’s playoff game against the Jaguars.

Pressed into service when Mahomes hurt his right ankle, Henne responded by leading the Chiefs on a 98-yard touchdown drive, which not only kept Jacksonville from seizing control but eventually provided the winning margin in a 27-20 victory that advanced Kansas City to its fifth consecutive AFC championship game.

“Definitely, nerves are high,” Henne said afterward, “but once you get in the game and get going, it’s just like, repetition. It’s not like I’ve never done it before. I played in enough games. When the opportunity is called upon, I’m ready.”

Mahomes returned after halftime and finished things out, and he intends to start next week’s AFC title game. But Henne proved once more the importance of a capable backup quarterback, an often-thankless job typically filled by failed starters, players long past their prime or young prospects not yet ready to take over a team.

Henne fits that mold, and there he was, watching from the sideline amid sleet and snow Saturday night as Mahomes was dragged to the turf by Jaguars pass rusher Arden Key, whose full body weight landed on the MVP candidate’s ankle.

Mahomes slowly stood up, barely able to put pressure on it, as a nervous hush descended over Arrowhead Stadium. He gutted out three more plays to finish the first quarter, then two more to set up a field goal, before Chiefs coach Andy Reid cornered him on the sideline and gave his star an ultimatum.

“I thought I could play through it,” Mahomes said, “and he said, ’I’m not putting you back in so you might as well go get the X-ray, and then if it’s negative or whatever, I’ll put you back in.”

So, throwing his winter coat to the ground in frustration, Mahomes headed up the tunnel to the Kansas City locker room.

Henne traded his baseball cap for a football helmet and headed onto the field.

The Jaguars didn’t do him any favors, backing the Chiefs up to their own 2 with a punt. But the confidence that Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had in him was evident by their first play call: a pass play from his own end zone.

Henne completed it to Travis Kelce, one of 14 on his night. Then he hit Kadarius Toney later in the drive, and found Kelce twice more, on one of them getting crushed late by Key and drawing a personal foul penalty.

On the 12th and final play of the drive, Henne hit the All-Pro tight end one last time for the touchdown.

“To come in a hostile game, backed up to your 2, go 98 yards,” Kelce said, “that just shows the type of competitor he is.”

It wasn’t the first time Henne has saved a season. In another divisional game two years ago, when Mahomes was forced into the concussion protocol, he guided the Chiefs through the final two quarters to a 22-17 win over the Browns.

“It’s not a one-man show,” Henne said. “There’s a lot of great guys on our offense that really stepped up and helped me.”

Kelce topped the list. But Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round draft pick, had the bulk of his 95 yards rushing on Henne’s drive, and his offensive line largely kept one of the league’s best defenses from laying a finger on him.

Perhaps they were inspired by Henne. Or put at easy by the fact that he was cracking jokes in the huddle.

“I don’t know if it was the jokes,” he said. “It was looking the guys in the eye, exemplifying some of the words in the offense that we do, and just really getting their attention and knowing that you believe in them as well as them believing in me.”

Henne was ready to play the rest of the way. But after X-rays on Mahomes came back negative, and he had proved to Reid that he was mobile enough to protect himself, he successfully negotiated his way back into the game.

With Henne again watching from the sideline, the All-Pro quarterback led the Chiefs the rest of the way to victory.

Mahomes was due to get an MRI exam Sunday, but he vowed to be ready for next week’s AFC championship game against the winner of the Bengals-Bills game. You can bet one thing, though: Henne will be ready, too.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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