Phones of Pentagon Trump Officials Wiped of Jan. 6 Messages

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The Defense Department wiped the data from the phones belonging to top officials in the Trump administration, deleting text messages that were sent at about the time of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog organization, sought as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit the records from the officials’ phones in the days after the Jan. 6 attack to gain insight into how the government responded while rioters breached the Capitol. However, the DOD responded in March, saying the requested records “were not preserved and therefore could not be searched” because “when an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government issued phone, and the phone is wiped,” according to the court filings.

“It’s just astounding to believe that the agency did not understand the importance of preserving its records — particularly [with regards] to the top officials that might have captured: what they were doing, when they were doing it, why they were doing, it on that day,” Heather Sawyer, executive director of American Oversight, told CNN.

The lost communications between top Defense officials such as former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, former chief of staff Kash Patel, and former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy are considered crucial to understanding the government’s response during the Capitol riot. The Homeland Security Department inspector general has taken investigative steps looking into missing text messages between Secret Service members at about the time of the Capitol riot, though that inquiry has taken fire over allegations that the independent watchdog has participated in a cover-up. American Oversight called for an inquiry into the Defense Department, too. (Read more from “Phones of Pentagon Trump Officials Wiped of Jan. 6 Messages” HERE)

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Kansas GOP Push to ‘Value Them Both’ on Abortion Law Fails

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Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have declared there is no right to abortion, according to Decision Desk HQ. . .

Kansas voters delivered a victory to abortion rights advocates in a deeply conservative state.

“The vote, which comes just over a month after the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights, demonstrates once again that voters across the country do not want politicians interfering in their health care decisions,” Planned Parenthood Action wrote in a statement Tuesday night.

The vote was the first statewide referendum on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June. The ballot question drew national attention as an early indicator of whether abortion rights will motivate voters in November’s midterm elections.

The amendment’s failure will prevent Kansas’ Republican-led legislature from passing severe abortion restrictions without violating the state constitution. (Read more from “Kansas GOP Push to ‘Value Them Both’ on Abortion Law Fails” HERE)

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Doctors Use Virtual Reality Tech to Help Separate Conjoined Twins

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Three-year-old twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima were separated by a medical team in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, with the assistance of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, becoming the oldest pair of craniopagus conjoined twins to have ever been separated.

The pair underwent seven surgeries, and the final surgery alone took 27 hours to complete, as well as the efforts of more than 100 medical professionals.

The team spent months practicing for the surgery using virtual reality projections of the twins, using both CT and MRI scans of the cranial area as a base. During the simulated surgeries, doctors from both countries wore virtual reality headsets and operated together in a “virtual reality room” for the first time.

Surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani described the procedure as “space-age stuff.”

“It’s just wonderful,” he said. “It’s really great to see the anatomy and do the surgery before you actually put the children at any risk. You can imagine how reassuring that is for the surgeons.” (Read more from “Doctors Use Virtual Reality Tech to Help Separate Conjoined Twins” HERE)

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China Makes Another Major Move With Pelosi in Taiwan

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After threats from the Chinese Communist Party and groveling from the Biden administration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it to Taiwan Tuesday.

During the daily briefing at the White House Monday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stressed that nothing has changed with U.S. policy toward China and that President Biden does not support Taiwan’s independence. He also falsely claimed there had been “no drama” with Pelosi’s trip.

“The world has seen the United States government be very clear that nothing has changed — nothing has changed — about our One China policy, which is of course guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint U.S.-PRC Communiqués, and the Six Assurances,” Kirby said. “We have said, and we have repeatedly said, that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We have said that we do not support Taiwan independence. And we have said that we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.”

(Read more from “China Makes Another Major Move With Pelosi in Taiwan” HERE)

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State’s Supreme Court Defies Lower Court in New Ruling on Mail-in Voting Law

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Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the state’s expansion of mail-in voting, in a case brought by Republican state representatives who voted for the legislation in 2019.

“We find no restriction in our Constitution on the General Assembly’s ability to create universal mail-in voting,” wrote Justice Christine Donohue in the majority opinion.

The 5-2 ruling, with the two Republican justices both voting no, means expanded vote-by-mail will likely be in place for marquee races in November for governor and U.S. Senate.

A lower court panel with a majority of Republican judges had thrown out the law in January, a ruling put on hold while the state Supreme Court reviewed an appeal by the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

In the new decision, the justices agreed with Wolf’s argument that the lower court wrongly based its decision on court rulings that addressed older versions of the state constitution that had invalidated antiquated laws passed to expand absentee voting. (Read more from “State’s Supreme Court Defies Lower Court in New Ruling on Mail-in Voting Law” HERE)

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Biden Paid Taliban More Than $1 Billion Over Last Year

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In the aftermath of Joe Biden’s report that he ordered a military drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, a report has emerged that Biden has paid, over the last year, about $1 billion to the Taliban.

That would be the extremist Islamist organization that took over Afghanistan when Biden last year abruptly pulled American soldiers out.

Biden left behind hundreds of Americans, thousands of America-supporting nationals who likely would be targeted by assassination squads for their work, as well as some $80 billion in American war machinery.

Now a report from Foreign Desk News explains that Biden has been sending, and plans to send more, money to the Taliban.

A columnist also pointed out that it is unlikely that an al-Qaida operative could have set up shop and be working in Kabul without the Taliban knowing that. (Read more from “Biden Paid Taliban More Than $1 Billion Over Last Year” HERE)

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Homeowner Taken Into Custody After Police Say He Shot and Killed Intruder

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By Fox News. A homeowner in Washington fatally shot a man who tried to break into his home Friday, authorities said.

Deputies with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department received a call from someone saying a man was trying to break into his home and that he had shot him. When they arrived, they found a 36-year-old man dead on a back porch, authorities said.

The homeowner was taken into police custody.

Investigators later learned the deceased man and his girlfriend lived next door. The couple had an argument and the woman went to the neighbor’s home, authorities said. (Read more from “Homeowner Taken Into Custody After Police Say He Shot and Killed Intruder” HERE)
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Man Who Was Shot “Threatened Everyone”

By BOL News. The deceased man and his girlfriend lived next door, according to investigators.

Additionally, the woman had an active no-contact order against her partner.

Authorities stated the pair argued and the woman went to a neighbor’s house.

According to investigators, the man who was shot and murdered attempted to break into a neighbor’s home before being shot.

He also threatened everyone inside, including his girlfriend. (Read more from about the homeowner charged with murder HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Two House Republicans Join Most Democrats in Passing ‘Assault Weapons Ban of 2022′

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The House of Representatives on Friday passed the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2022,” a bill that would ban various semi-automatic guns, though the measure would grandfather in firearms that people already own.

“It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a semiautomatic assault weapon,” the text of the bill states. “Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession, sale, or transfer of any semiautomatic assault weapon otherwise lawfully possessed under Federal law on the date of enactment of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022.”

Republican Reps. Chris Jacobs of New York and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania joined most Democrats in voting for the bill, but Democratic Reps. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas voted against the bill.

The measure will almost certainly fail to clear the Senate chamber, where 60 votes would be needed to surmount a filibuster. (Read more from “Two House Republicans Join Most Democrats in Passing ‘Assault Weapons Ban of 2022′” HERE)

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‘Pray’ for Pelosi: Shock Threat From Chinese State Media Mouthpiece; White House Finally Defends Potential Pelosi Taiwan Trip

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By Washington Examiner. A Chinese media commentator asked people to “pray” for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ahead of her planned trip to Taiwan.

A social media post from Global Times commentator Hu Xijin did not threaten Pelosi but did ask for others to wish her “a safe journey” on her expected visit. Top White House officials have expressed safety concerns about Pelosi’s travel plans due to high tensions with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory, even though island leaders have maintained it is self-governed.

“Let her go to Taiwan,” the tweet read. “But pray before departure: wish herself a safe journey and wish herself not be defined by history as a sinner who starts a spiral of escalation process expanding military frictions to a large-scale war in the Taiwan Strait.”

Xijin warned on Saturday that if Pelosi visited Taiwan, China would carry out “severe punishment” on Taiwan after saying Friday that U.S. fighter jets escorting Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan would be considered an “invasion.” (Read more from “‘Pray’ for Pelosi: Shock Threat From Chinese State Media Mouthpiece” HERE)

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White House Finally Defends Potential Pelosi Taiwan Trip

By Breitbart. The White House on Monday warned China not to use a potential Taiwan visit by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to act militarily in the region — even after President Joe Biden publicly raised concerns about the idea.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby took the podium at the White House daily briefing to send a strong message to China about Pelosi’s potential trip.

“We will not take the bait or engage in saber-rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated,” Kirby said at the top of the briefing.

Kirby simultaneously tried to reassure the Chinese Communist Party that the United States policy has not changed in the region.

“We’ve repeatedly said that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We have said we do not support Taiwan independence,” he said, reassuring Chinese officials they still stood by the “One China Policy.” (Read more from “White House Finally Defends Potential Pelosi Taiwan Trip” HERE)

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Texan Who Prosecutors Say “Lit the Match” of Jan. 6 Riot Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison

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Guy Reffitt, a Texan who prosecutors said “lit the match” of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was sentenced to 7 1/4 years in prison on Monday, the longest sentence of any rioter to date but less than what the Justice Department had pushed for.

Reffitt, a 49-year-old from Wylie, was the first rioter to to be convicted at trial in March when a jury found him guilty on five counts: two counts of civil disorder and one count each of obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining on restricted grounds with a firearm and obstruction of justice.

Reffitt, who was a recruiter for the antigovernment movement The Three Percenters, never entered the Capitol but helped ignite the crowd “into an unstoppable force” against police officers who were attempting to protect the Senate wing doors, a prosecutor at the trial said. He was equipped with a handgun, body armor, a helmet, radio and flex cuffs.

“Reffitt sought not just to stop Congress, but also to physically attack, remove, and replace the legislators who were serving in Congress. This is a quintessential example of an intent to both influence and retaliate against government conduct through intimidation or coercion,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

Prosecutors sought to enhance his sentence to 15 years using a provision in federal law that allows for harsher punishment in terrorism cases, though Reffitt was not convicted of a terrorism charge. Reffitt’s case is the first time prosecutors have sought a terrorism enhancement sentencing for a Jan. 6 rioter. (Read more from “Texan Who Prosecutors Say “Lit the Match” of Jan. 6 Riot Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison” HERE)

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