Trump administration staffers reportedly getting snubbed while looking for new jobs

'They're all very all about themselves with narcissistic attitudes,' says one recruiter

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  Feds back away from claim of assassination plot at Capitol

  Associated Press
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  Republicans Seek To Distance Themselves From The Mob That Stormed The Capitol: Poll

  HuffPost

Schools ‘likely’ to stay shut after the February half term, says senior Tory Robert Halfon

A senior Tory has thrown fresh doubt on whether schools will reopen after the February half term, saying he expected it would be “much longer”. Robert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, said he believed it was not “very likely” that schools would reopen when the Government had hoped. Earlier this week Boris Johnson warned it was “too early to tell” if schools can reopen after half term.

'I feel ashamed': Dutch government resigns over childcare subsidies scandal

The Dutch government collapsed on Friday over an escalating scandal in which thousands of families were driven to financial ruin after being wrongly accused of child benefit fraud. “Today the question was about political responsibility,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday. “If the whole system has failed we must take collective responsibility. We have offered the king the resignation of the whole cabinet.” The move was seen as largely symbolic. Mr Rutte's government will remain in office in a caretaker mode in order to manage the coronavirus response until a new coalition is formed after the March 17 general election. Mr Rutte’s VVD party is expected to win the March election, with a predicted result of 41 to 45 seats out of a total of 150. That would put Mr Rutte, who has been the Netherlands’ leader for a decade, first in line to begin talks to form the next ruling coalition. However, other parties such as opposition leader Geert Wilders’s PVV or the Socialist Party could well capitalise on the scandal to gain voters. Mr Rutte’s Cabinet's resignation had been expected this week after growing criticism over the childcare subsidies scandal, described by a recent parliamentary inquiry as an "unprecedented injustice". For years, the Dutch tax office has been demanding all benefits be paid back after people made small errors such as missing a signature or misreporting €100. Its approach hardened in 2013, after some gangs from Bulgaria were involved in widespread, organised benefits fraud in the Netherlands. But a parliamentary inquiry last month found that instead of a clampdown on genuine crime, thousands of innocent families were unjustly labelled “fraudsters” and told to pay back every cent of child benefit they had ever received - sometimes almost €100,000. Following the resignation of former deputy prime minister and social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher yesterday as Labour leader, pressure had increased on the Dutch cabinet to resign collectively. Speaking on Friday, Mr Rutte said that the caretaker government would ensure a €500m compensation package quickly reaches parents, with first payments of €30,000 each disbursed to some 10,000 families by May 1. He added that he had not considered resigning as leader of his VVD party. “I think it is up to the elector,” he said. “Of course, I am responsible at the end of the day for what doesn’t go well in the cabinet, and I feel ashamed of what has happened. But I wasn’t directly responsible for this dossier, so I believe I can carry on.” Some disagree. Roger Derikx, a 49-year-old chef from Hoofdorp, was made to pay back €60,000 in benefits after being incorrectly labelled a fraudster. Mr Derikx said: “He has taken responsibility for the Cabinet, not for his actions. Now it is up to people to vote on March 17 against him.” Mr Derikx is among 20 families who have filed charges for criminal negligence against five leading politicians, including Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra and Economy Minister Eric Wiebes, for their role in the affair. If convicted, they could face up to six months in prison. Several politicians have also said that the scandal is not yet over. Pieter Omtzigt, a Christian Democratic Appeal MP who started investigating the affair in 2017, told The Telegraph there were still questions to answer over a potential cover-up. “Why did probably between 20,000 and 30,000 families become victims of this, and why was I not told the full details after two and a half years of parliamentary questions and debates?” he said. “The other question is: how are we going to set things straight for these parents, some of whom have been evicted from their homes, had divorces and lost their jobs over it? Lives have been ruined.” Renske Leijten, a Socialist Party MP who has also been campaigning for justice for broken families, told The Telegraph: “It is right that the government should step down. It is terrible that this is necessary and this injustice should have been made right a long time ago. "Parliament wants to provide compensation that is quick and just, it hasn’t happened with this government, and now we must make sure it happens. We also believe there should be a parliamentary inquiry.”

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  Dutch PM Rides Bike to King to Offer Resignation Over Child Benefits Scandal

  Storyful
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  Dutch government resigns over childcare scandal

  The Independent

Ice cream tests positive for coronavirus in China

Contamination ‘probably a one-off’ and no cause for panic, virologist says

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  Ice Cream In Northeastern China Tests Positive For COVID-19

  HuffPost
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  This Baileys Layer Cake Is Topped With a Delectable Irish Cream-Flavored Icing

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Trump news: McEnany departs White House as McConnell calls impeachment ‘vote of conscience’

Cabinet officials preparing to leave administration as DC prepares for Biden inauguration

Son of Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst died of rare brain condition, his family reveal

The mother of teenage actor Archie Lyndhurst has revealed  he died from a brain haemorrhage while he slept at his family home in west London. The teenager, who had been acting since the age of 11 and was son of Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst, starred in the hit CBBC show So Awkward as Ollie Coulton and was dating co-star Nethra Tilakumara. Archie had no signs of illness before his death his family said.

Dancing On Ice's Colin Jackson Explains Why He Turned Down Same-Sex Partnership

The former Olympic hurdler is paired with professional skater Klabera Komini.

Tory revolt threatens Boris Johnson with defeat over £1,000 a year cut to universal credit

Fifty-strong Northern Research Group calls for emergency increase to stay – ahead of Commons vote

Ex lover of former king Juan Carlos tells court her life was threatened by Spanish spy

Trial threatens fresh embarrassment for scandal-tainted Spanish royal family

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  Spanish kings's former lover says he was behind threats to kill her over hunting trip scandal

  The Telegraph
• Spanish king's ex-lover tells court spymaster threatened her

  Reuters

Tearful Pelosi says Congress members may be prosecuted as she announces Capitol security review

Speaker says retired Lt Gen Russel Honoré will lead probe following Trump riot

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  What we know about the laptop that was stolen from Nancy Pelosi's aide during the Capitol siege

  Business Insider
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  10-year-old girl writes emotional letter to DC police officer

  ABC News Videos

Coronavirus latest news: Ending lockdown in February would be a 'disaster', Sage scientist warns

Borders closed to shut out new strains Five million over-70s to receive invitations for jabs Doctors told to throw away leftover Covid vaccines UK faces delays in delivery of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine Three-quarters back curfews to prevent evening socialising Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial Removing coronavirus restrictions at the end of next month would be a "disaster" and put "enormous pressure" on the NHS, a Sage scientist has warned. Professor John Edmunds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think it would be a disaster if we removed restrictions in, say, the end of February when we have gone through this first wave of the vaccination. "First of all vaccines aren't ever 100% protective, and so even those that have been vaccinated would be still at some risk. "If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again." It came as the World Health Organisation warned that while measures like social distancing are working, we have to do them better. Dr Margaret Harris told the BBC: "The public health measures that we know work: the distancing, not gathering in large numbers, understanding who has the virus and who has not, keeping the two apart, all those measures do work. "They work over and over again in a number of countries, so we have to do them better. "Some of the actions at the borders, like testing people, quarantining people, understanding where they're coming from, are all part of ensuring who has the virus, who has not and keeping them apart." Follow the latest updates below.

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  Covid news - live: Tougher restrictions in Scotland amid warning relaxing rules early would be ‘disaster’

  The Independent
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  Covid: Relaxing lockdown in February would be ‘disaster’ for NHS, warns scientist

  The Independent

Care home workers refusing coronavirus vaccine as anti-vaxx disinformation spreads

Carers are refusing to have the coronavirus vaccine, industry leaders have warned, amid concern over anti-vaxx disinformation being spread on Whatsapp. With outbreaks of Covid-19 in care homes more than trebling in a month, vaccines are seen as vital to stem the spread among residents. Discussing care homes at a Downing Street press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted "we clearly have got a problem there again", but insisted the vaccine rollout in the sector should "make a huge difference". However, a leading industry insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that some carers are not prepared to take the vaccine. The warning comes as some communities have been reportedly targeted with rumours on messaging sites such as WhatsApp with misinformation about vaccines containing alcohol, beef and pork. “The take-up has been good and better than expected,” the care source said. “But there are some carers who don’t want it or can’t have the vaccine because of religious reasons.” “However, I think that if vaccination were to be made mandatory, that would be counter-productive, because more and more people will eventually need a vaccine to do something as simple as go travelling, or go on holiday.

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  Outrage over vaccine rollout as states receive fewer doses of vaccine

  ABC News Videos
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  Biden promises to deliver 100 million shots of vaccine in 1st 100 days

  ABC News Videos

Forty seven players quarantined after COVID-19 cases on Australian Open flights

Forty-seven players have been forced into two weeks of hotel quarantine in Melbourne after three coronavirus infections were reported on two chartered flights carrying them to the year's first grand slam, the tournament organisers said on Saturday. Two dozen players who arrived from Los Angeles entered strict hotel quarantine after an aircrew member and Australian Open participant who is not a player tested positive for the new coronavirus. Later, another non-player passenger on a flight from Abu Dhabi tested positive, prompting the organisers to usher 23 players into hotel quarantine.

Latest weekly Covid-19 rates for local authority areas in England

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Donald Trump isolated and enraged ahead of Biden inauguration

Donald Trump isolated and enraged ahead of Biden inauguration. A slew of aides have deserted the president and the Pentagon has decided not to hold an armed forces farewell tribute

Duke of Cambridge says witnessing so much death as an air ambulance pilot left him traumatised

The Duke of Cambridge has revealed that seeing people die whilst working as an air ambulance pilot traumatised him and made him see the world as a “much more, slightly depressed, darker, blacker place.” He said he “really worries” about those working on the frontline during the Covid pandemic and the effect “such high levels of sadness, trauma and death” will have on their personal lives. The Duke, who worked for the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 until 2017, recalled his own experiences in a video call with medics, counsellors and first responders. “Some of it I noticed from my previous spell flying with the air ambulance,” he said. “When you see so much death and so much bereavement it does impact how you see the world. “It impacts your own life and your own family life because it is always there.

What happens after you've had the Covid vaccine – and can you drink alcohol that evening?

The rollout of the coronavirus vaccine is well and truly underway, with jabs set to accelerate in the coming weeks as several new mass vaccine centres open their doors. According to new regional data released today by the NHS, the Midlands, North East and Yorkshire and the South East have seen the highest numbers of vaccinations to date. More than 447,000 doses (including first and second jabs) have been administered in the Midlands, while the fewest (236,000) have been handed out in the East of England. But can you drink before the vaccine, how quickly are you immune and are there any side effects? We have broken it down below... Can I drink alcohol after the vaccine? Alcohol is unlikely to make any difference to your health after you receive the vaccine, say experts, but out of an abundance of caution some alcohol charities recommend leaving it two weeks before getting a drink. Prof Fiona Sim, of the University of Bedfordshire and chair of the independent medical advisory panel for alcohol charity Drinkaware, says: “We advise that you don't drink any alcohol for at least two days before, and at least two weeks after, you've been vaccinated, to try to ensure your immune system is at its best to respond to the vaccine and protect you.” But she says the most important thing is getting the vaccine - and that applies to heavy drinkers as well as teetotalers. How long does it take to develop immunity? Public Health England says it will take “a few weeks” to develop immunity after your Covid vaccination - advice shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), America's influential equivalent. If you look at the trial data for the three Covid-19 vaccines currently approved for use in the UK, “you can see there’s a clear difference after three weeks,” says Trudie Lang, professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford. How much immunity/protection will I have after the first dose? The subject of vaccine doses has been the centre of much debate. In December, former prime minister Tony Blair urged the government to give as many people as possible an initial dose of a Covid vaccine - rather than preserving stocks so there is enough for second jabs. Although both the Pfizer-Biontech and Oxford University-Astrazeneca vaccines require two doses, Blair said that this could help bring the country out of lockdown sooner and said that the first dose gives “you substantial immunity.” “Partial immunity does occur after the first dose and we can see some protection occurring on day 12 after the first dose, but best immunity is seven days after the second dose,” says Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, a member of The Commission on Human Medicine (CHM). Once the second dose is administered – which comes 21 days after the first – people can expect full immunisation seven days later. This means that immunity can be expected 28 days after the first dose. However, Dr Pankhania says that there is a chance you can catch the virus after receiving the vaccine. This means if you are clinically vulnerable or shielding, it’s important to continue taking precautions. “None of the vaccines offer 100 per cent protection, so there is a small chance that you won’t be immunised - even after receiving one,” he says. “The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 95 per cent effective, meaning roughly 5 per cent of people won’t be protected. This is more likely if you are older, or already immunocompromised. Others may still get ill, but not as severely as they would have been without the vaccine.” Can I go out, go to work, or hug my grandkids after having it? No. The vaccines have been proven to protect against serious illness, but they have not been proven to protect against transmission, says Prof Lang. So you should continue to follow social distancing guidelines after receiving the vaccine. Those guidelines are only likely to be lifted once a large enough share of the UK’s elderly and vulnerable population have been vaccinated. Do I need the vaccine if I've already had Covid? Yes. Reinfection from Covid-19 is rare, and a recent study of healthcare workers by Public Health England found that immunity in most cases lasts at least five months (and maybe longer - five months was just how long the study lasted). But it is impossible to know whether or not you are immune simply by having had the virus, and so experts still recommend getting a vaccine. “Re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, [and a] vaccine should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection,” says the CDC Does the vaccine stop me transmitting Covid to other people? The short answer is, we don’t really know. Although it’s true that the vaccines do prevent life-threatening illnesses, none of the three approved vaccines - Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech - have proven that they can stave off the virus altogether. It’s the same for transmission, too. “If you are immunised, there is still a potential for you to develop a mild infection and as a result be infectious to other people,” says Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior consultant in communicable disease control at the University of Exeter. Clinical trials of the covid vaccines show that they do substantially reduce the risk of becoming ill with the virus, but some people may still get infected and be able to spread the disease. “There may be a chance that it prevents you from being infectious too, but at the moment we can’t be 100 per cent sure,” adds Dr Pankhania. This uncertainty may be a consequence of the speed at which the vaccine was developed. Normally, a trial would observe recipients of a vaccine for a longer period of time, showing not just whether they became ill, but whether they still transmit a virus, before a vaccine entered wide use. Although it’s likely that the coronavirus vaccines provide at least reduction in transmission, it’s too soon to know for sure, or to what degree. “The proof of the pudding is in the testing. When we test these out in real life, with real people, we will know better,” says Dr Pankhania. In practice, this means that as the coronavirus vaccine is rolled out, precautions such as social-distancing, mask-wearing and handwashing will remain a high priority. Will I need to continue getting Covid tests after the vaccine? Yes, if you have symptoms - even after getting both doses of the vaccine - you will need to get tested. This comes back to the idea that it could still be possible to transmit the virus after you are immunised. “Medical professionals are very interested in testing people who are post immunisation but became infected, as it helps us in our research to tell whether the vaccine is working or not,” says Dr Pankhania. He adds that the outcome of your test won’t be affected by the vaccine, as the dose is too small to be counted as an infection. Are there any side effects? There are many rumours circulating about side effects of the coronavirus vaccine - most of them false. As a starting point, the NHS website lists a range of side-effects to be aware of. They are usually mild and will go away quickly on their own. They include: A sore arm where the needle went in Feeling tired A headache Feeling achy Feeling or being sick The NHS website says it’s fine to take painkillers if you are experiencing any of the side effects. Out of all the European countries, Norway is offering the most cautious approach to the vaccine rollout. Norwegian officials said 23 people had died in the country a short time after receiving their first dose of the vaccine. Of those deaths, 13 have been autopsied, with the results suggesting that common side effects may have contributed to severe reactions in frail, elderly people, according to the Norwegian Medicines Agency. Severe allergic reactions to the covid vaccine in the UK have been very rare. Last year the trials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine were halted after a participant suffered an adverse reaction. However, clinical holds of trials are not uncommon, and the vaccine was approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last year. Medical experts in the UK still agree that it’s far safer to get the vaccine than to not. Will the vaccine give me Covid symptoms? No. The vaccine might have some minor side-effects (see above), as would a flu jab or any other vaccination. But it will not give you Covid-19, or its symptoms. “Mild reactions have been reported in some people, which could be things like a fever, or feeling slightly unwell,” says Prof Lang. “But that doesn't mean you've got Covid. And that's the same as a normal flu vaccine. The vaccine’s not live.” Will I still need to wear a mask? Yes. In fact, experts predict we will be wearing masks well into 2021 and beyond. This is because it will take many months to ensure that those who urgently need protection - health care workers, the elderly, people with serious underlying health conditions - get vaccinated. Several studies have linked populations that have high rates of mask-wearing with lower infection rates. A recent study published in Health Affairs compared the coronavirus infection rate before and after masks were made mandatory in 15 states and the District of Columbia. It found that compulsory mask-wearing led to a slowdown in daily covid-19 growth rate, which became more apparent over time. The first five days after a mask mandate was issued, the daily growth rate slowed by 0.9 percentage points compared to the five days prior to the mandate; at three weeks, the daily growth rate had slowed by 2 percentage points. “It is going to take a very long time to be sufficiently confident that a nation's population has been immunised, and that viral activity has dropped significantly enough to say that we no longer need to wear masks,” says Dr Pankhania. He explains that the primary function of the vaccine is to stop vulnerable people dying; the second is to try and subdue the number of people who are infected. The third - eliminating the virus - only comes once we have achieved the first two goals. As Dr Pankhania sees it, there is a chance that we may never truly eliminate the virus, adding that we are “several years away from that point.”

Exclusive: Five million over-70s to start receiving Covid jab invitations

People aged 70 and over are expected to begin receiving coronavirus vaccinations as soon as next week as the Government ramps up its inoculations programme, The Telegraph can disclose. With 90 per cent of the over-80s now vaccinated in some areas and 3.2 million doses administered in total, ministers are preparing to give the green light to the next age categories getting the jab. Letters inviting the over-70s to book vaccinations are set to arrive on doormats early next week, meaning the first appointments would be possible before next weekend, it is understood. Ministers are on course to deliver the two million doses a week they promised by the end of January with a further 316,694 announced on Friday, adding up to a total of 3.23 million. However, the pipeline of vaccine deliveries was thrown into doubt after Pfizer announced "reductions" in weekly shipments of around a million doses at the end of this month. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Friday, Boris Johnson said: "With almost 45 per cent of our over-80s now vaccinated and almost 40 per cent of care home residents, we are steadily protecting those most at risk. "And I pay particular tribute to the vaccination efforts going on in Cockermouth in Cumbria, Yateley and Cheltenham, where they have vaccinated around 90 per cent of their over-80s in their communities."

Trump's White House packs up as one of the least civil presidential handovers in history begins

When George H. Bush handed over to his Democratic successor, Bill Clinton, he wrote a heartfelt letter wishing President 42 luck and “great happiness”. George W. Bush offered Barack Obama friendly advice as he was leaving office to “ignore the critics” and that he was "pulling" for him. Since George Washington gave the keys to the White House over to John Adams in 1797, the transfer of power between presidents has largely been peaceful, if on occasion spiteful. This year all norms, however, have been broken. For starters, Donald Trump only conceded last week - at the urging of White House lawyers - after his supporters stormed the US Capitol. The formal process finally began this week, with White House staff pictured removing its current occupants’ belongings - everything from paintings to a taxidermy pheasant.

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  Transgender athletes look to changing of White House guard

  Associated Press
• 
  Barricades Erected in Washington Ahead of Joe Biden Inauguration

  Storyful

Mike Pence calls Kamala Harris to congratulate her and offer help – but Donald Trump still hasn’t contacted Joe Biden

Phone call between former rivals described as ‘gracious and pleasant’

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  Pence calls incoming VP Harris to offer congratulations, help

  Axios
• 
  The Latest: Azar condemns Capitol riot in resignation letter

  Associated Press

Labour: Keir Starmer to declare himself ‘pro-American but anti-Trump’

Latest step in bid to draw a line under Corbyn era

Trump impeachment news - live: President vanishes as McConnell tells Republicans trial is ‘vote of conscience’

Follow for all the latest from the White House and beyond

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  How Trump's 2nd impeachment trial will work — or maybe won't: Yahoo News Explains

  Yahoo News Video
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  Trump impeachment: could Trump face more charges after he's out of office? You asked, we answered

  USA TODAY