A group of New York state congressmembers have called for a subpoena of the governor for the so-called “coverup” of Covid-19 deaths in the state’s nursing homes.

The New York attorney’s office recently estimated the number of deaths in the state’s nursing homes were under counted by up to 50 per cent.

At least nine top New York health officials, meanwhile, quit their jobs amid accusations that Cuomo undercut their expertise advice in managing the pandemic.

The lawmakers led by Republican Elise Stefanik urged US Attorney General Monty Wilkinson to seize documents from the Cuomo administration following the attorney general’s report, according to The New York Post.

“The report reveals that Governor Cuomo and his staff recklessly and knowingly underreported the number of nursing home deaths that occurred after his March Executive Order requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients,” the representatives write.

“We are also grateful to New York State Attorney General Letitia James for revealing the veracity of Governor Cuomo’s mismanagement in her recent report, but the people of New York deserve greater transparency, accountability, and ultimately, the truth about the coverup that Governor Cuomo’s administration engaged in.”

Michelle Obama has thanked Jill Biden after the new first lady sent her a care package of vegetables grown in the White House garden.

On Tuesday, the former first lady shared a photo of the gift to Instagram, where a basket full of broccoli, turnips and various greens can be seen.

In the caption, Ms Obama expressed her gratitude for the “wonderful and delicious surprise”, writing: “So thankful for this beautiful care package from our amazing @FLOTUS! These fresh veggies from the White House Kitchen Garden were such a wonderful – and delicious – surprise. Love you, Jill!”

Chelsea Ritschel has the story.

Murder rates across the US rose in 2020, according to a recent survey of 34 cities across the nation.

According to the Washington Post report, murder rates rose 30 per cent across 34 cities. In four Midwestern cities, that number rose more than 60 per cent, according to police data.

Milwaukee had one of the most shocking growths in murders, with its police reporting a 95 per cent increase over 2019. In 2019, there were 97 murders in the city; in 2020 that number rose to 189.

Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will not face consequences from within her own party for her history of bigoted, conspiracy-mongering behaviour, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Wednesday.

Mr McCarthy had been mulling whether to boot Ms Green from her committee assignments as the House Democratic majority united in condemnation of the congresswoman.

Ms Taylor Greene — the first member of Congress who has openly supported the QAnon conspiracy theory that Democrats and other elites are part of a Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic ring of pedophiles — has a years-long history of espousing discredited conspiracy theories, endorsing violence against Democratic politicians on social media, and making bigoted remarks.

House Democrats are moving forward with a resolution to deprive her of her committee assignments, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Griffin Connolly goes deeper on this developing story.

The New York congresswoman lashed out on Twitter following claims she exaggerated the danger she was in during the Capitol riots.

Despite the so-called clap back, the hashtag ‘#AlexandriaOcasioSmollett’ is trending in reference to the hate crime hoax from actor Jussie Smollett.

GOP congresswoman Nancy Mace has said that her office is two doors down from AOC’s and that “insurrectionists never stormed our hallway.”

It prompted an influx of screen shots showing AOC’s office across the road from the US Capitol.  

“It’s because they know they are implicated, so they’re pivoting to (again) the classic abuse playbook of “it’s not as bad as they say.”

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy released a statement saying Marjorie Taylor Greene would not be removed from her committees.

“Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference. I condemn those comments unequivocally. I condemned them in the past. I continue to condemn them today. This House condemned QAnon last Congress and continues to do so today,” McCarthy said.

“I made this clear to Marjorie when we met. I also made clear that as a member of Congress we have a responsibility to hold ourselves to a higher standard than how she presented herself as a private citizen. Her past comments now have much greater meaning. Marjorie recognized this in our conversation. I hold her to her word, as well as her actions going forward.”

A group of Republicans in Congress are pushing to strip Democratic representative Ilhan Omar of her committee assignments, as Democrats move to do the same to the GOP’s Marjorie Taylor Greene over her past comments, which frequently targeted Ms Omar.

“If the Democrat Majority wants to go down this road, they should start by dealing with their own members who have been at this before and AFTER their election to Congress,” congressman Brian Babin of Texas wrote on Twitter on Tuesday,  and arguing incidents where Ms Omar had criticized US policy in the Middle East and used clumsy language in talking about a Jewish organization were equivalent offenses.

Fellow Republicans Ronny Jackson of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Jody Hice of Georgia reportedly support the effort.

One of the alleged Capitol rioters has asked a judge for permission to holiday in Mexico while awaiting trial.

The accused, Jenny Louise Cudd, made the request to continue with a planned work visit to Mexico later this month, despite awaiting trial on charges she took part in the US Capitol on 6 January.

According to court documents obtained by USA Today, the woman will not be able to travel to Washington DC, the nation’s capital, under the conditions of her release.

Nancy Pelosi is calling the House minority leader Kevin McCarthy Q-CA, for QAnon-California. Get it? Q-CA instead of R-CA, Republican-California.

“McCarthy has chosen to make House Republicans ‘the party of conspiracy theories and QAnon’ and Rep. Greene is in the driver’s seat,” wrote speaker Pelosi in a statement on Wednesday. 

If this continued arms race of insults continues unabated, it may not be long before McCarthy issue a rebuttal to Nancy Pelosi A-CA, for Antifa-California. 

The Independent’s Josh Marcus has more on the unity coming out of Congress.