Extremist groups at a pivot point as Trump returns to Washington

When an angry mob of thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump descended on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, most in the crowd had no history of activism, prior arrests or even much of a plan.

But among their number were members of far-right groups the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys who had prepared for the moment as well as smaller numbers from white supremacist groups and neo-fascists who want to see American democracy dissolve and be replaced with a dystopian vision of their own. In the wake of the riot, they became key figures in the Justice Department’s massive investigation, with key leaders earning long prison sentences.

As a result, experts say they expect very little in the way of marches, violence or other displays by extremist groups during Trump’s inaugural weekend because it comes as organizations on the far right are weakened and disorganized by years of criminal prosecutions and civil suits, not only from Jan. 6 but also from debacles like 2017′s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“It’s hit on so many of the far-right organizations, and just sent a chill right across the movement that you should watch what you do, don’t put yourself in a position to get arrested,” said Heidi Beirich, cofounder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Drug-eating rats invade Houston police headquarters, potentially disrupting open cases

DALLAS — Rodents infiltrated a narcotics evidence room at Houston police’s headquarters, accessing drugs and potentially disrupting open criminal cases.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is notifying defense attorneys in more than 3,600 open drug-related cases of the rat infestation out of an abundance of caution, KHOU-TV reported.

The office‘s general counsel, Joshua Reiss, said the specific item the rats broke into — a package of mushrooms — only impacts one active case. District Attorney Sean Teare, Mayor John Whitmore and Houston police Chief Noe Diaz previously announced an effort to clear out unnecessary items from the property room.

During that news conference, officials said unnecessary items would be purged. KHOU-TV reported the DA’s office approved the destruction of drug evidence from cases cleared before 2015.

—The Dallas Morning News

Use of PFAS-tainted sludge as fertilizer raises cancer risk on farms, EPA says

Farm families that consume milk, eggs and beef they raise themselves face an increased risk of cancer if their fields were fertilized with PFAS-laced sewage sludge, the EPA reported this week.

The results do not suggest that the broader food supply is contaminated. EPA identified risks for people consuming some animal products from their land, drinking wellwater and eating fish from polluted lakes. The draft study found an unacceptable cancer risk when two PFAS chemicals were present in low levels.

To those who have been tracking the sprawling pollution problems posed by PFAS chemicals, the findings were long overdue. The chemicals don’t break down in human bodies or the environment, and have already been linked with some cancers and health risks. EPA’s report relied on many previous studies that have shown the chemicals will migrate into soil, groundwater, and be absorbed into some plants, including pastures that cows graze.

“What’s surprising is it took (EPA) so long to recognize it,” said Matt Simcik, a professor of environmental chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Now, the question is whether the findings will push the state of Minnesota toward tighter regulation of the use of biosolids — the sludge left behind after sewage treatment — as fertilizer.

—Star Tribune

What will Mexico do if Trump tries to mass deport non-Mexicans across the border?

MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities have repeatedly vowed to welcome back their citizens should the incoming Trump administration proceed with threats of large-scale deportations.

"It's our obligation," said President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has outlined plans to boost assistance for millions of Mexican citizens facing potential deportation from the United States — and increase aid for those forced back to Mexico.

But less clear, and more problematic, is how Mexico's leaders will respond if, as expected, President-elect Donald Trump pressures them to accept deportees from other countries as well — either asylum seekers immediately sent back from the border or migrants living in the United States.

"This will be one of the first pressures facing Mexico," said Eunice Rendón, a columnist and expert in migrant issues. "Donald Trump is going to want to send people who aren't Mexicans back to Mexico, especially those from countries like Venezuela, with which the United States doesn't have diplomatic relations."

—Los Angeles Times