What Are They Hiding? FBI Redactions Mask Las Vegas Shooting Information

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The FBI recently released more records related to the nation’s deadliest mass shooting.

But the documents were so heavily redacted they don’t improve the public’s understanding of what might have motivated Stephen Paddock to kill 60 people, injure hundreds more in Las Vegas and take his own life on Oct. 1, 2017, government transparency experts said. . .

Among the heavily redacted records were summaries of handwritten letters sent to Paddock and found in Texas. But Las Vegas police on Thursday released the letters to the Review-Journal without redactions. The letters suggest that Paddock had discussed his plans with an ex-convict who wrote the notes, imploring him not to “shoot or kill innocent people.” . . .

In September, FBI officials released 314 pages of records detailing interviews and evidence they gathered during their investigation. They released about 300 additional pages in February.

Throughout the 600-page document, important information on who conducted the interviews, where they were conducted and who was interviewed was almost always redacted. (Read more from “What Are They Hiding? FBI Redactions Mask Las Vegas Shooting Information” HERE)

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Pentagon Shares Easter Sunday Update on Classified Docs Leak

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The Department of Defense (DoD) issued on Easter Sunday its most detailed public statement to date regarding the apparent leak of classified information.

“An agency effort has been stood up, focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our Allies and partners,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement. “Over the weekend, U.S. officials have engaged with Allies and partners and have informed relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction about the disclosure.”

Up until Sunday, the Pentagon had only commented publicly on the matter to say it was aware of the images and that a criminal referral had been made to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Singh confirmed on Sunday the DOJ had opened a criminal investigation. “The Department of Defense’s highest priority is the defense of our nation and our national security,” she added. (Read more from “Pentagon Shares Easter Sunday Update on Classified Docs Leak” HERE)

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Top House Republican Warns: U.S. Needs to Arm Taiwan Fast, Beef up U.S. Military Presence to Avoid War

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Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) warned during an interview over the weekend that China is using all means of warfare available to try to take over Taiwan.

Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the Chinese Communist Party was trying to intimidate the U.S. with their recent military exercises near Taiwan.

Chinese dictator “Xi Jinping would love to achieve that reunification without force if possible,” Gallagher said. “And the way to do that is through psychological warfare. It’s through economic coercion. It’s through political warfare. And that’s really what President Tsai of Taiwan has been warning us about.”

“It’s what she calls cognitive warfare. So it’s important for the American people not to be intimidated,” he continued. “And the fact that the Chinese were throwing a temper tantrum about the speaker of the House meeting with the democratically elected leader of Taiwan on American soil just shows you how sensitive they are.” (Read more from “Top House Republican Warns: U.S. Needs to Arm Taiwan Fast, Beef up U.S. Military Presence to Avoid War” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Russian Fighter Jet Nearly Shot Down British Spy Plane, According to Leaked U.S. Military Documents

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A Russian fighter jet nearly shot down an unarmed British reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea in September — a confrontation described in leaked US military documents as more significant than previously known, according to a report Sunday.

UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace told the British House of Commons in October that one of the two Russian Su-27 fighters that intercepted the RC-135 surveillance plane off the coast of Crimea “released a missile” at a distance, according to the Washington Post.

He attributed it to a “technical malfunction,” and said he’d spoken to his Russian counterparts about the incident.

But the mid-air scuffle appears to have been more serious than that, according to one of the leaked documents circulating online, the Washington Post reported.

That document referred to the incident as a “near-shoot down of UK RJ,” which is a reference to a commonly-used nickname for the British spy plane, the report said. (Read more from “Russian Fighter Jet Nearly Shot Down British Spy Plane, According to Leaked U.S. Military Documents” HERE)

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Report: Biden Recruits ‘Army of Influencers’ for 2024 Race

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President Joe Biden, who has yet to officially announce he is running for reelection, is reportedly going to rely on an “army” of online “influencers” for his reelection campaign and they could have their own “briefing room” at the White House.

The president’s campaign seeks to “boost Biden’s standing among young voters who are crucial to Democrats’ success in elections” and will be used to counter former President Donald Trump’s “massive social media following” if he is the nominee, Axios reported.

The report noted that the president’s digital strategy team would like to connect with influencers across the county to help Biden tout his record to those who do not follow the social media accounts of Biden, the White House, or the Democratic Party. Reportedly, there are four Biden digital staffers — run by Rob Flaherty, who has been named assistant to the president and will hold the same rank as press secretary — focused on influencers and independent content creators on the White House payroll, not the Biden campaign.

Some “unpaid and like-minded” content creators working with the White House include TikTokers Harry Sisson, who talks about news on the Chinese social media app, and Vivian Tu, who talks about financial topics on the Chinese social media app. (Read more from “Report: Biden Recruits ‘Army of Influencers’ for 2024 Race” HERE)

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Arms Dealer Viktor Bout Urges Trump to Seek Refuge in Russia as His Life Is ‘in Peril’

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Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, freed from a U.S. jail last year, on Friday urged U.S. ex-president Donald Trump to seek refuge in Russia as his life was “in peril.”

Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death,” was swapped for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in a high-profile prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington in December.

“I believe your life is in peril,” Bout wrote in a telegram sent to Trump and shown to the press in Moscow.

“The Biden administration will not stop just by dragging you through the court/prison industrial complex,” he said, referring to Trump’s successor Joe Biden.

“They would sooner end your life than let you stand in their way.”

Bout told Trump, whom he has long admired, that he would find a “safe haven and from here you can lead the fight for the American people.” (Read more from “Arms Dealer Viktor Bout Urges Trump to Seek Refuge in Russia as His Life Is ‘in Peril'” HERE)

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Justice Clarence Thomas Responds to Report Alleging He Took Improper Gifts

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Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas denied wrongdoing in a response to an article alleging that he accepted improper gifts from a longtime friend and conservative donor.

“Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years. As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them. Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable,” Thomas said in a statement.

ProPublica reported that Thomas and his wife traveled on the Crows’ yacht and on their private jet on numerous occasions over Thomas’ tenure on the Court. The article quoted several ethics experts who alleged that Thomas violated disclosure rules that require judges and justices to disclose large gifts. (Read more from “Justice Clarence Thomas Responds to Report Alleging He Took Improper Gifts” HERE)

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Pentagon Probing Release of Alleged Secret U.S./NATO Plans to Arm Ukraine

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The Pentagon is investigating how alleged secret U.S. and NATO plans for building up Ukraine’s military ahead of a planned offensive against Russia leaked online.

Versions of documents dating back to March 1 on assessments of Ukraine’s military strength and what Ukraine is expected to need before the offensive have surfaced on Twitter and Telegram, a messaging app with wide reach in Russia. The documents do not include battle plans or a date for when the push against Russia is expected to begin, but they contain a wealth of other information that had not been made public, according to The New York Times. . .

Since the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out last year, intelligence sharing between the United States and Ukraine has increased substantially. The documents that have appeared online, if authentic, represent a serious intelligence breach that could harm that intelligence sharing relationship.

Some of the documents appear altered to show the number of Ukrainian casualties much higher and Russian casualties much lower, according to the Times. The documents also include some information that has never been made public before, such as the Ukrainian military’s burn rate of HIMARS munitions, supplied to Ukraine by the U.S. military. . .

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not comment on the authenticity of the documents that have appeared online, but told CNN: “We don’t have the slightest doubt about direct or indirect involvement of the United States and NATO in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.” (Read more from “Pentagon Probing Release of Alleged Secret U.S./NATO Plans to Arm Ukraine” HERE)

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Wannabe Shooter William Whitworth Owned ‘Communist Manifesto,’ Called Trump a ‘Con Man’

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A Colorado teen who was arrested last month for allegedly planning to commit a mass shooting at [his] former middle school owned a copy of “The Communist Manifesto” — and blasted former President Donald Trump as a “con man” in [his] own writings, authorities said.

Lilly Whitworth, 19, wrote a detailed manifesto and possessed floor plans of [his] intended target before she was busted on March 31 for making threats to various schools, including Timberview Middle School, which [he] once attended, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by news station KRDO.

[He] also owned a copy of “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, according to an arrest affidavit. . .

The affidavit also detailed the contents of several notebooks, which included rants calling Trump a “con man,” the outlet said.

Whitworth — who previously went by [his] legal name, William — also reportedly wrote that Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were “losers” and Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza was “smart.” (Read more from “Wannabe Shooter William Whitworth Owned ‘Communist Manifesto,’ Called Trump a ‘Con Man’” HERE)

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Kamala Harris Meeting With Expelled Dem Lawmakers in Tennessee

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Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to stop in Nashville, Tennessee, to meet with two Democratic state lawmakers expelled from the Republican-controlled General Assembly after participating in a gun-control protest in the chamber.

The vice president’s trip on Friday follows the chamber’s vote on Thursday to expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, a move that drew swift condemnation from President Biden and Democrats nationwide.

The White House said in addition to meeting with state lawmakers, Ms. Harris will also meet with young people and advocates who are demanding action to address gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in which a transgender person killed three 9-year-olds and three adults.

“While in Tennessee, the Vice President will make clear what happened in Nashville, continue to call on Congress to renew the assault weapons ban and ensure that in Tennessee and across the nation, the voices of our young people are heard,” a White House official said.

The Tennessee House voted to expel the two Democratic lawmakers Thursday for rule violations, but failed to oust a third. (Read more from “Kamala Harris Meeting With Expelled Dem Lawmakers in Tennessee” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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