Newsletter Feb 11, 2021

Day 2 of Trump's second impeachment trial saw House managers rely on video instead of words, and the images spoke volumes. Read all about it.

3 Things

Captive audience: Senators spent Wednesday watching a horror movie during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, except the shocking scenes were very real, and they were the central characters in the reenactment of the Capitol attack.
Democrats used their first 8 hours of arguments to impeach Trump by showing never-before-scene footage of the events of Jan. 6 -- from Trump's "fight like hell" speech and directing supporters to march on the Capitol, to rioters assaulting police officers, breaking into the building and searching for lawmakers to try for treason.
"President Trump put his own desires, his own need for power, over his duty to the Constitution and our democratic process," House Manager Stacey Plaskett said. "President Trump put a target on their backs and his mob broke into the Capitol to hunt them down."
The videos featured members of both parties running for their safety -- including Republicans like former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Mitt Romney, as well as Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The timeline shows just how close lawmakers came from encountering the angry mob fueled by Trump.
The video isn't likely to change enough GOP senators' minds to result in a conviction, but it is forcing Republicans to take a closer look at the incident and reexamine their loyalty to Trump. Dems have another day to drive home their point before the defense responds.
WILL THE VIDEO EVIDENCE MAKE ANY GOP MEMBERS FLIP?

Doubling down: The CDC stepped up its recommendations for fighting COVID-19 on Wednesday with the results of a study showing that wearing two masks really is better than wearing one.
The new research reveals that double masking, wearing a surgical mask underneath a cloth mask, could reduce transmission of COVID-19 by up to 96.5%. The study also said single-masking would be up to 65% more effective if people wore them properly.
â€œWith cases hospitalizations and deaths still very high, now is not the time to roll back mask requirements,â€ CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said. â€œThe bottom line is this: masks work and they work when they have a good fit and are worn correctly.â€
The news comes at a time the U.S. is starting to make real headway in the battle with the virus, with daily inoculations up to about 1.3 million per day and the number of new cases on a sharp decline.
FIND OUT IF DOUBLE MASKING WILL SPEED UP RECOVERY

Vax reax?: Millions of Americans are hesitant about getting the COVID vaccine, and more are sure to join them following reports of a rare blood disorder that some are calling a vaccination side effect.
Out of the nearly 33 million Americans who have been inoculated to date, about 1 in a million have developed a non-lethal condition known as ITP (immune thrombocytopenia), which decreases the level of platelets in blood that aid in the clotting process.
The medical community says it is too early to tell and the number of cases are too low to draw any hard conclusions about a possible link between the vaccine and the blood disorder. One doctor said there was only clear evidence of ITP in 19 of the 36 reported cases so far.
More research into the side effects of the vaccines are under way. A Pew Research poll showed 39% said they wouldn't be vaccinated.
FIND OUT WHAT IMPACT ITP COULD HAVE ON VACCINATIONS

Markets

DJIA	31,437.80	0.20%
S&P 500	3,909.88	-0.03%
Nasdaq Composite	13,972.53	-0.25%
Japan: Nikkei 225	29,562.93	0.19%
UK: FTSE 100	6,524.36	-0.11%
Crude Oil Futures	58.32	-0.61%
Gold Futures	1,838.00	-0.26%
Yen	104.61	0.01%
Euro	1.21	0.00%
* As of market close

Polar plunge

That's it; somebody has to yank that Punxsutawney Phil rodent out of his hole and try to change his mind about this six more weeks of winter thing.

For the second time since Groundhog Day, a major winter storm is working its way across the country and bringing massive snowfall and sub-zero temperatures. The upper Midwest has already seen dramatic drops in wind-chill factors of 40-degrees below zero, and the Northeast is bracing for another blanketing of snow after last week's foot of powder.

Meteorologists are blaming the latest winter storm on a disturbance in the polar vortex, a region of brutally cold air that normally stays above the Arctic Circle but is breaking loose and dipping into Canada and the U.S. Caused by warmer air making its way into the polar zone, it's just another example of how climate change doesn't always equal global warming.

FIND OUT THE FULL FORECAST FOR THE LATEST WINTER STORM

Tripping troll

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's decision to purchase $1.5 billion in bitcoin made headlines this week, but lost in the high-tech hubbub was the fact that one random Reddit user predicted the move over one month before the buy.

Using the screen name "TSLAinsider," a 24-year-old German and self-described "troll" posted a Jan. 2 message claiming Tesla was stocking up on bitcoin: â€œYou heard it here first â€“ our Company just bought 800 Million worth of Bitcoin.â€ The drug-induced joke turned out to be pretty accurate.

Hendrik, as he identified himself this week, says he was on acid when he came up with the idea to troll Musk: "I was like, yeah, why shouldnâ€™t he buy into bitcoin?â€ Heâ€™s crazy and he has a lot of money, so why not?â€

The post drew little attention until Musk's move, which was hailed as a breakthrough for the future of cryptocurrency. Hendrik's prediction wasn't too far off the mark, albeit a month premature and nearly half the purchase price. He returned to take credit, posting only "I told you so."

SEE HOW AN ACID-INDUCED PRANK TURNED INTO A PREDICTION

Chicken of the sea

The Chicken Wars have shifted into amphibious operations after Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, known for its famed fried poultry, has gone fishing.

Popeyes unveiled its new Cajun Flounder Sandwich, which will be available in stores nationwide and for delivery beginning today. As a special promotion to introduce fans to the breaded fish sandwich on a brioche bun, the fast-food chain is selling the spicy seafood item for only 15 cents through the Popeyes app (you can't buy bait for that price).

Popeyes is also offering an insurance policy of sorts. Customers who aren't happy with their fish sandwich can exchange it for a chicken sandwich at no charge on opening day. But with a crispy breaded and seasoned Flounder filet topped with Cajun tartar sauce and barrel-cured pickles, the folks at Popeyes are fishing for positive reactions from fans.

LEARN HOW TO GET A POPEYES FISH SANDWICH FOR 15 CENTS