Biden news: White House defends ‘Neanderthal’ slur of GOP states, as Trump shifts blame for Senate loss

YouTube will lift its suspension on Donald Trump’s channel when it determines the risk of real-world violence has decreased, CEO, Susan Wojcicki, said on Thursday.

The Google (Alphabet, technically) company was among a number of Silicon Valley tech companies to join the near-simultaneous de-platforming of Trump following the US Capitol riot in January.

“The channel remains suspended due to the risk of incitement to violence,” Wojcicki said in an interview with the head of the Atlantic Council think tank.

“Given the warnings by the Capitol Police yesterday about a potential attack today, I think it’s pretty clear that that elevated violence risk still remains. However, I do want to confirm that we will lift the suspension of the channel. We will lift the suspension of the Donald Trump channel when we determine that the risk of violence has decreased. That’s per our policies, that’s how our three strikes system works. But when the channel is reinstated, it will be subject to the same policies that every other channel follows.”

The full interview can be watch exactly where expected, over on YouTube.

The Senate voted 51 to 50 after the vice president cast the tie breaker in the $1.9 trn Covid package.

The Senate has 20 hours to debate the package, along with another 10 hours or so it’s take a clerk to read the entire 628-page bill on the floor thanks to Ron Johnson’s procedural move.

Marco Rubio called for Joe Biden to take sensitivity training for calling a recent decision by lawmakers "Neanderthal thinking."

Mr Rubio took to Twitter to call for Mr Biden to seek sensitivity training for insulting "modern Europeans" by using Neanderthal as an insult.

"President Biden’s use of an old stereotype is hurtful to modern Europeans, Asians & Americans who inherit about 2 per cent of their genes from Neanderthal ancestors," he said. "He should apologize for his insensitive comments and seek training on unconscious bias."

The Independent’s Graig Graziosi writes that it was a “stumbling attempt” to weaponise identity politics against Democrats.

Nearly a dozen current and former staffers from Andrew Cuomo’s office have spoken out about a reportedly “intense work culture” described as “brutal” and “traumatic” amid claims of inappropriate behaviour against the New York governor.

The report, published by the New York City news publication Gothamist, detailed the accounts of several staffers to the Democratic governor, who has faced controversy in recent weeks over an investigation into nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a separate probe surrounding alleged sexual misconduct.

“There’s no right or wrong way. It’s the Cuomo way,” a former staffer told Gothamist about the allegedly difficult work environment at the governor’s offices in Albany, New York. “He wants people who are literally going to fall on the sword for him, and they all will.”

Chris Riotta has the report.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo is facing accusations from three former staffers that he was allegedly sexually inappropriate to them in separate incidents.

One of the governor’s accusers, Charlotte Bennett, has given an interview to Norah O’Donnell of CBS Evening News regarding her accusations against him. It will air on Thursday night.

The interview is set to air around 6:30pm tonight. In the meantime, The Independent’s Oliver O’Connell takes a closer look and who she is, what she’s accusing Cuomo of doing, and what happens next.

Peak timeline has been achieved. The Neanderthal Museum in Mettman, Germany, has taken sides in the great Neanderthal debate happening on Capitol Hill.

Dear @JoeBiden we approve of Your criticism concerning the decision to end state-wide mask mandates. Still we strongly recommend You to visit our museum, once it is possible,” they tweeted.

“#neanderthals were smarter than You think!”

A preview of tonight’s interview with the governor’s accuser just dropped, in which Bennett tells Nora O’Donnell Cuomo was trying to sleep with her. Cuomo has denied all the allegations.

“And I’m deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible,” she says.

“Without explicitly saying it, he, he implied to me that I was old enough for him and he was lonely.”

"What do you mean by wrong?" she asks, exasperated. "He went through open doors. He was escorted into the Senate. So I don't know what's wrong with that."

The mother of the so-called “QAnon Shaman” has defended her son's actions during the Capitol insurrection and repeated false claims that Donald Trump only lost the election due to voter fraud.

Martha Chansley, the mother of Jacob Chansley, appeared on 60 Minutes+ to discuss her son's role in the 6 January riots.

Nancy Pelosi denied on Thursday that the House of Representatives had adjourned early because of a potential QAnon threat on the Capitol, calling it “silliness”.

“I don’t think anybody should take any encouragement that because some troublemakers might show up that we changed our whole schedule,” Ms Pelosi told reporters. “No, we just moved it a few hours and it largely will accommodate the Republicans going to their own session.”

Nathan Place reports.

Adherents to the cult-like delusion of the QAnon movement, the former president’s supporters, and MAGA true believers – not all necessarily in the same right-wing ideological camp – arrived at different conclusions as to why an insurrection, let alone Mr Trump’s second inauguration, did not happen on 4 March, as some of the QAnon faithful and far-right memes anticipated, writes The independent’s Alex Woodward.