January 1, Russian Bots Pushing Epstein Conspiracy Theories

Good morning Middle Americans. There are certainly a lot of questions that need to be answered in the wake of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide inside a jail cell in New York City.  But many of the conspiracy theories that we ware hearing about now, are being fueled by Russian bots, pushing lies and rumors about who or what else may have been involved in his death.  Don’t get fooled. 

We also have a report today about the security guards who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the billionaire sex offender.  They were reportedly working “extreme overtime”.  Also former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci says some in the GOP are quietly considering replacing Donald Trump as the Republican party’s 2020 nominee. Joe Biden is pushing more gun control in a New York Times Op-Ed.  A storage of a common drug is impacting the way doctors are treating patients. Plus, we have a report on the capture of an inmate who escaped and killed a corrections worker from a Tennessee prison. Read all about it. 

 – Fraser Dixon. 

Conspiracy Theories Dominate Epstein Coverage 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday that Russian bots and trolls were promoting theories about Mr. Trump and Mr. Clinton. He provided no evidence to support the claim of Russian interference, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

“It’s sad (and frightening) to see so many Americans on both sides…unwittingly helping them,” Mr. Rubio wrote on Twitter. Russian President Vladimir Putin, he added, “has weaponized our polarization.”

The Wall Street Journal has more info here. 

Epstein’s guards worked extreme OT shifts morning of death

(New York Times) – The jail staff failed to follow protocols leading up to Epstein’s death , according to a report from The New York Times , deepening the fallout from what led to his apparent suicide.

Epstein should have been checked on by guards in his cell every 30 minutes, but that didn’t happen the night before his apparent suicide, a law enforcement official told the Times.

Learn more from the New York Times here. 

Scaramucci: GOP May Need to Replace Trump

(Axios) – Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci tells Axios that if Trump “doesn’t reform his behavior, it will not just be me, but many others will be considering helping to find a replacement in 2020.”

He emphasized that “Right now, it’s an unspeakable thing, but if he keeps it up, it will no longer be unspeakable. The minute they start speaking of it, it will circulate and be socialized. We can’t afford a full nuclear contamination site post 2020.”

Find your more from Axios here. 

Biden, If Elected, Will Work to Reinstate Assault Weapons Ban

The federal assault weapons ban “worked,” and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said in a New York Times opinon piece Sunday he will work to reinstate the measure if elected president in 2020.

You can read Biden’s Op-Ed here. 

Drug shortages forcing hospitals to ration treatments

(Wall Street Journal) –  A shortage of a versatile medicine used to treat immune disorders and other diseases has forced U.S. hospitals and infusion clinics to suspend treatment for many patients.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal here. 

Escaped Inmate Captured in Tennessee After 4-Day Manhunt

An inmate who escaped from a Tennessee prison four days ago was captured on Sunday, CNN reported.

Curtis Ray Watson was serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated kidnapping and is a suspect in the killing of a corrections official who was found dead in her home on the prison grounds on Wednesday, the day that Watson went missing, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

Find out more about the capture of Watson from CNN here.