AOC responds to Florida holiday controversy

The lawmaker has lashed out at the “creepy weirdos” criticizing her recent trip to Florida

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has responded to the wave of criticism she received over published photos of her vacationing in Florida by claiming her Republicans critics are taking out their “sexual frustrations.”

Ocasio-Cortez directly responded to multiple critics on Friday after they accused her of fleeing her home state of New York amid a coronavirus surge and sweeping restrictions to take a vacation in the Sunshine State, heavily criticized by Democrats for rejecting strict Covid mandates, many of which Ocasio-Cortez supports. The progressive Democrat faced massive backlash after the photos of her and her boyfriend dining out in Miami Beach were published the night before. 

“If Republicans are mad they can’t date me they can just say that,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in one Friday tweet, pushing back against accusations of hypocrisy and elitism.

If Republicans are mad they can’t date me they can just say that instead of projecting their sexual frustrations onto my boyfriend’s feet.

Ya creepy weirdos https://t.co/Z7bZCgXpWJ

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 31, 2021

In a separate tweet, the congresswoman accused Republicans of having “very obvious, strange, and deranged sexual frustrations” suggesting that these from the basis of “the Republican fixation on me, women & LGBT+ people in general.”

“These people clearly need therapy, won’t do it, and use politics as their outlet instead,” she wrote. 

It’s starting to get old ignoring the very obvious, strange, and deranged sexual frustrations that underpin the Republican fixation on me, women,& LGBT+ people in general.

These people clearly need therapy, won’t do it, and use politics as their outlet instead. It’s really weird

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 31, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez  also took a swipe at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, which had joined in on the mocking the night before. “Hasn’t Gov. DeSantis been inexplicably missing for like 2 weeks?” she tweeted, referring to the Republican governor’s absence from the public eye that has sparked a wave of speculations. 

Hasn’t Gov. DeSantis been inexplicably missing for like 2 weeks?

If he’s around, I would be happy to say hello. His social media team seems to have been posting old photos for weeks.

In the meantime, perhaps I could help with local organizing. Folks are quite receptive here 🙂 https://t.co/LmmqT8eLDh

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 31, 2021

On Tuesday, Democratic Mayor of Orange County in Florida argued that Floridians “should be outraged” with DeSantis over him not showing up in public. While the governor has not commented on the issue, Fox News reported on Friday, citing a DeSantis spokesperson, that the governor accompanied his wife, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, to a treatment center on December 29.

Soldier arrested over ominous Covid ultimatum video to government

The German soldier said the government would face resistance over what he said were ‘anti-constitutional’ policies

German prosecutors have opened a probe against a Bundeswehr soldier who delivered a video ultimatum to the government demanding it abandon its Covid-19 policies. The man was released after being briefly detained.

A series of video appeals surfaced on social media on Thursday, where a man dressed in military uniform and calling himself “Sergeant Major Oberauer” demanded the government give up on its “crazy anti-constitutional projects.” 

The self-described sergeant was referring to the German government’s Covid-19 restrictions, as well as compulsory vaccination for medical workers and Bundeswehr soldiers.

The man then delivered an ultimatum, saying that officials had until Friday to change their ways. “This is a warning,” he said in a minute-long clip, adding that “soldiers would be ready for dialogue until 4pm tomorrow.” 

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He also accused politicians of betraying Germany’s Basic Law and demanded “the constitutional order” be restored.  

Authorities swiftly launched a manhunt for the man and, on Thursday evening, police in the southern state of Bavaria said in a statement they arrested a “Bundeswehr soldier” in downtown Munich, who “had publicly called for criminal offenses.” His rank or identity have not been made public. 

The police and public prosecutor said they were “in close contact” with the Bundeswehr which is probing the case. The Ministry of Defense commented that threats against the rule of law are “unacceptable.”

On Friday, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that the Bundeswehr “needs self-aware and upright people, who are firmly committed to our Basic Law.” Those “who do not share this have no place in our Bundeswehr,” she added. 

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The suspect was released from custody on Friday, with the prosecutor’s office seeing no grounds to keep him behind bars and did not deem him to be an acute threat to society.

It is still unclear if the suspect acted alone or had any accomplices among the military or elsewhere. A Telegram channel named ‘Soldaten fuer Grundgesetz’ (Soldiers for the Basic Law) created on December 21 featured a series of posts attributed to the soldier, where he announced that he would “fight the government” until “the constitutional order” was restored. 

Other such posts also called on ordinary citizens to organize “resistance” to “defend their homes … families and children” together with “loyal soldiers.” It is unclear, though, if these posts – as well as other ones featuring other people dressed in military uniform and expressing similar ideas or declaring their support to the suspect – are authentic. 

The German officials have not spoken about any other suspects so far. 

China’s data ‘disappearance’ makes information access rough going for outsiders

A new Chinese law on the protection of sensitive data has made it much harder, if not impossible, for foreign investors to access information on China’s economy over the past few months. Analysts say the Chinese Communist Party is using this law to tighten control over strategic sectors to protect them from foreign competitors and adversaries.