New documentary footage reveals Pence reacting to a resolution calling for him to invoke 25th amendment to remove Trump from power – CNN
New documentary footage reveals Pence reacting to a resolution calling for him to invoke 25th amendment to remove Trump from power – CNN

The documentary film crew subpoenaed by the January 6 committee interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence on January 12, 2021, a day before the House of Representatives voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol riot.

In a clip of the documentary from filmmaker Alex Holder, which was obtained by CNN, Pence is shown an email by a member of his staff that includes the draft House resolution demanding that Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power, according to the documentary.

Pence tells his aide, “Yeah, excellent” as he is handed the phone with the email. He then offers a pained smirk and asks the aide to “tell Zach to print me off a hard copy for the trip home.” Pence then collects himself for the rest of the interview.

The next clip shows Pence saying, “I am always hopeful about America,” juxtaposed against the backdrop of crews erecting security fencing around the Capitol building.

The footage of Pence’s interview, which has not been previously released, was captured less than a week after pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election win. Pence had to be evacuated to safety amid calls from rioters to “Hang Mike Pence.”

The same evening that Pence was interviewed, the House passed the resolution calling for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power and deem him unfit for office. Only one Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, voted in favor of the resolution, which was effectively a symbolic vote taken one day before the House impeached Trump for a second time on January 13, 2021.

After the vote, Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he would not invoke the 25th Amendment. “Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation,” Pence wrote.

In the short clip of the documentary set to be released by Discovery Plus, which is owned by CNN’s parent company, Pence does not comment on the substance of the resolution. But the video is a small sample of the additional content now in the possession of the committee. However, the documentary states that during his interview, the former vice president declined to discuss anything related to January 6.

Holder, the filmmaker, appeared Thursday behind closed doors for a deposition with the January 6 committee, which likely asked him about what he observed over the course of nearly six months when he had behind-the-scenes access to key Trump figures and even the former President himself.

In one clip from an interview with Trump on March 2021 at Mar-a-Lago, the former President is asked directly about what happened on January 6.

“Well, it was a sad day, but it was a day where there was great anger in our country, and people went to Washington primarily because they were angry with an election they think was rigged,” Trump said.

“A very small portion, as you know, went down to the Capitol, and then a very small portion of them went in,” Trump continued. “But I will tell you they were angry from the standpoint of what happened in the election, because they’re smart, and they see, and they saw what happened. And I believe that was a big part of what happened on January 6.”

Holder’s “Unprecedented” three-part docuseries about the 2020 election will be released on Discovery Plus later this summer. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage of the Trump family on the campaign trail and their reactions to the outcome of the election.

Trump and his allies have yet to react publicly to news that Holder was subpoenaed by the committee or to the revelation of what was said in the interviews now in the panel’s possession.

The documentary includes interviews with Trump as well as three of his children: Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric, according to the clips released by Discovery Plus and obtained by CNN.

Like Trump, his family members speak directly to camera in the footage. The interviews could provide new insight into what those closest to the former President were saying in the lead-up to and after January 6.

In one short clip obtained by CNN from December 2020, Ivanka Trump told the filmmaker, “As the President has said, every single vote needs to be counted, and needs to be heard. He campaigned for the voiceless.”

The clip seems to be from the same interview excerpt, first reported by The New York Times Tuesday night and confirmed by CNN, where Ivanka Trump said her father should “continue to fight until every legal remedy is exhausted” because people were questioning “the sanctity of our elections.”

The interview came days after then-attorney General William Barr publicly stated there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Under oath, Ivanka Trump told the January 6 committee that Barr’s assessment “affected my perspective” and she “accepted what he was saying.”

Those comments appear to contradict the sentiment she expressed in the documentary interview.

The documentary also features Pence talking in detail about the process of Trump selecting him as his running mate. He talks about Trump inviting his family to his estate in Bedminster, New Jersey and playing golf with the then-GOP nominee as part of his vetting process.

The documentary then notes how Trump attacked Pence on January 6 as rioters called for his hanging, before turning to an interview clip from Trump.

“I think I treat people well, unless they don’t treat me well, in which case you go to war,” Trump says.
This story has been updated to include the letter Pence sent to Speaker Pelosi declining to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/23/politics/trump-jan-6-documentary-footage-pence-25th-amendment/index.html

7 views no comments
Senate vote moves gun bill closer to reality – The Washington Post
Senate vote moves gun bill closer to reality – The Washington Post

The 15 Republicans supporting the bill were Sens. Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Patrick J. Toomey (Pa.) and Todd C. Young (Ind.), as well as McConnell, Cornyn and Tillis.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/23/senate-gun-bill-vote/

10 views no comments
Prosecutors seek 30 to 55-year sentence for Ghislaine Maxwell – NBC News
Prosecutors seek 30 to 55-year sentence for Ghislaine Maxwell – NBC News
12 views no comments
Live updates: SCOTUS throws out New York’s handgun law – CNN
Live updates: SCOTUS throws out New York’s handgun law – CNN
(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Apart from today’s ruling on guns, the Supreme Court released three other opinions today. Here’s what they are about:

GOP lawmakers can intervene to defend North Carolina voter ID law, Supreme Court rules

Two Republican leaders of North Carolina���s legislature could step in to defend the state’s voter ID law even though the state’s attorney general, a Democrat, is already doing so, the Supreme Court said.

The opinion will make it easier for other state government officials to intervene in some instances in lawsuits when the state government is divided. 

Supreme Court makes it easier for death row inmates to challenge method of execution 

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a death row inmate in Georgia who is challenging the state’s lethal injection protocol and seeks to die by firing squad — a method currently not authorized in the state. 

The court said the inmate could bring the challenge under a federal civil rights law that allows individuals to seek remedies when their Constitutional rights are violated. The decision could make it easier for inmates to challenge their potential execution method. 

Supreme Court limits ability to enforce Miranda rights 

The court limited the ability to enforce Miranda rights in a ruling that said suspects who are not warned about their right to remain silent cannot sue a police officer for damages under federal civil rights law even if the evidence was ultimately used against them in their criminal trial.

The ruling will cut back on an individual’s protections against self-incrimination by barring the potential to obtain damages. It also means that the failure to administer the warning will not expose a law enforcement officer to potential damages in a civil lawsuit. It will not impact, however, the exclusion of such evidence at a criminal trial.  

The court clarified that while the Miranda warning protects a constitutional right, the warning itself is not a right that would trigger the ability to bring a civil lawsuit.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/new-york-gun-law-supreme-court-decision/index.html

6 views no comments
Afghans bury dead, dig for survivors after quake kills 1000 – The Associated Press
Afghans bury dead, dig for survivors after quake kills 1000 – The Associated Press

GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — Villagers rushed to bury the dead Thursday and dug by hand through the rubble of their homes in search of survivors of a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that state media reported killed 1,000 people. The Taliban and the international community that fled their takeover struggled to bring help to the disaster’s victims.

Under a leaden sky in Paktika province, which was the epicenter of Wednesday’s magnitude 6 earthquake, men dug a line of graves in one village, as they tried to lay the dead to rest quickly in line with Muslim tradition. In one courtyard, bodies lay wrapped in plastic to protect them from the rains that are hampering relief efforts for the living.

The state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported the death toll and said an estimated 1,500 more were injured. In the first independent count, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said around 770 people had been killed in Paktika and neighboring Khost province.

It’s not clear how the totals were arrived at, given the difficulties of accessing and communicating with the affected villages tucked into remote mountainsides. Either grim till would make the quake Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades, and officials continued to warn the number could still rise.

“They don’t have anything to eat, they are wondering what they can have to eat, and it is also raining,” a Bakhtar reporter said in footage from the quake zone. “Their houses are destroyed. Please help them, don’t leave them alone.”

The disaster heaps more misery on a country where millions already faced increasing hunger and poverty and the health system has crumbled since the Taliban retook power nearly 10 months ago amid the U.S. and NATO withdrawal.

How the international humanitarian community, which has pulled back significant resources from the country, will be able to offer aid and to what extent the Taliban government will allow it to remain in question. The Taliban’s takeover led to a cutoff of vital international financing, and most governments remain wary of dealing directly with them.

U.N. agencies and other organizations still operating in Afghanistan said they sent supplies to the area, including medical kits, tents and plastic tarps, but the needs appeared immense as whole villages sustained massive damage.

“We ask from the Islamic Emirate and the whole country to come forward and help us,” said a survivor who gave his name as Hakimullah. “We are with nothing and have nothing, not even a tent to live in.”

Search and rescue remained a priority. In hard-hit Gayan District, much of the rubble was too large for people to move with their hands or shovels. They said they hoped large excavators would make it out their remote homes. For now, there was only one bulldozer in the area.

On Wednesday, a U.N. official said the government had not requested that the world body mobilize international search-and-rescue teams or obtain equipment from neighboring countries, despite a rare plea from the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadah, for help from the world.

U.N. agencies are facing a $3 billion funding shortfall for Afghanistan this year, and Peter Kessler, a spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency, said that means there will be difficult decisions about who gets aid.

In addition to the political and financial concerns, there were also logistical challenges to getting aid to remote villages. The roads, which are rutted and difficult to travel in the best of circumstances, may have been badly damaged in the quake, and landslides from recent rains have made some impassible. Though just 175 kilometers (110 miles) directly south of the capital, Kabul, some villages in Gayan District took a full day’s drive to reach.

Rescuers rushed in by helicopter — and Associated Press journalists also saw ambulances in the quake zone on Thursday — but heavier equipment will be difficult to deliver.

Walls and roofs of dozens of homes in Gayan collapsed in the quake, and villagers said whole families were buried under the rubble. Associated Press journalists counted some 50 bodies in the area alone, as people laid out their dead in front of their houses and in their courtyards.

While modern buildings withstand magnitude 6 earthquakes elsewhere, Afghanistan’s mud-brick homes and landslide-prone mountains make such quakes more dangerous. Shallow earthquakes also tend to cause more damage, and experts put the depth of Wednesday’s at just 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Despite the challenges, officials from several U.N. agencies said the Taliban were giving them full access to the area.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter that eight trucks of food and other necessities from Pakistan arrived in Paktika. He also said Thursday that two planes of humanitarian aid from Iran and another from Qatar had arrived in the country.

Obtaining more direct international help may be more difficult: Many countries, including the U.S., funnel humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through the U.N. and other such organizations to avoid putting money in the Taliban’s hands.

In a news bulletin Thursday, Afghanistan state television made a point to acknowledge that U.S. President Joe Biden — their one-time enemy — offered condolences over the earthquake and had promised aid. Biden on Wednesday ordered the U.S. international aid agency and its partners to “assess” options for helping the victims, a White House statement said.

The death toll reported by Bakhtar was equal to that of a quake in 2002 in northern Afghanistan — the deadliest since 1998, when a 6.1 magnitude temblor and subsequent tremors in the remote northeast killed at least 4,500 people.

Wednesday’s quake was centered in Paktika province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of the city of Khost, according to neighboring Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.

In Khost province’s Speray district, which also sustained serious damage, men stood atop what once was a mud home. The quake had ripped open its timber beams. People sat outside under a makeshift tent made of a blanket that blew in the breeze.

Survivors quickly prepared the district’s dead, including children and an infant, for burial. Officials fear more dead will be found in the coming days.

“The toll this disaster will have on the local communities … is catastrophic, and the impact the earthquake will have on the already stretched humanitarian response in Afghanistan is a grave cause for concern,” said Adnan Junaid, vice president for Asia for the International Rescue Committee. “The areas most affected are some of the poorest and most remote areas in Afghanistan, which lack the infrastructure to withstand disasters like this.”

___

Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Rahim Faiez and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-politics-taliban-earthquakes-hunger-3b1e0b316326c0fbcde3b7e4447eed03

5 views no comments
Trump messed up by opposing Jan. 6 panel, now no allies in hearings – Business Insider
Trump messed up by opposing Jan. 6 panel, now no allies in hearings – Business Insider
  • Trump is angry that he has no allies on the Jan. 6 committee to defend him. 
  • He has lashed out at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for boycotting the committee. 
  • But Trump had the chance to back a bipartisan commission and chose to oppose it.

As the House’s January 6 committee lays out in devastating detail Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election, the former president is turning his anger on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. 

Trump has complained about McCarthy’s decision to boycott the panel, with the former president telling the Punchbowl newsletter on Wednesday: “Republicans don’t have a voice. They don’t even have anything to say.”

He is also said to be avidly and angrily watching every commission hearing and feeling that the GOP is doing little to defend him.

But Trump has no one but himself to blame for the situation, one of his Republican critics pointed out, as he was the one who opposed the formation of a bipartisan commission equally split between Republicans and Democrats to investigate the riot. 

“Trump opposed the bipartisan commission,” Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who voted to impeach Trump over the insurrection, told The New York Times on Wednesday. “Once again, he’s rewriting history.”

Back in early 2021, the House passed a bill to form a January 6 panel modeled on the 9/11 commission, with the Democratic caucus and 35 Republicans voting in favor. But it was blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate after Trump, congressional GOP leaders, and the far-right congressional Freedom Caucus opposed it. 

Criticizing the 35 Republican representatives who ignored his call to vote against forming a commission, Trump said at the time that “sometimes there are consequences to being ineffective and weak.”

But Republican leaders could have used the commission as an effective platform to defend Trump, or at least try and mitigate the damage. 

Under commission rules, they would have been free to choose five Republicans to sit on the commission and select a Republican co-chair. Trump allies selected for the panel could’ve sought to undermine arguments by Democrats and Trump’s critics, and subject witnesses to cross-examinations.  

After the defeat of the commission bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi instead formed the House commission to investigate the attack, a move allowing her to veto Republican appointments and giving her considerable power to shape the committee. 

The Democratic-controlled committee, in its carefully choreographed hearings crafted by TV producers for a prime-time audience, has presented a damaging case for Trump’s guilt unopposed. It has featured shocking testimony by Capitol Police officers injured in the riot and election officials threatened and intimidated by Trump allies. 

Last July, McCarthy said he would not be selecting any Republicans to take part in the investigation after Pelosi barred two of his choices, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Jim Banks, over their support for Trump’s bid to overturn his 2020 defeat.

However, committee rules left McCarthy with no option but to comply with Pelosi, and select Republicans approved by her to sit on the panel or pull out of the committee altogether. He chose the latter, and the two Republicans on the current January 6 commission, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, are vocal opponents of Trump who have been ostracized by much of the GOP.

The timing of the hearings is also damaging to Trump. 

If he’d backed a bipartisan commission, it would’ve had to present its findings by the end of 2021. Instead, the House committee has timed the rollout of its hearings to damage Trump ahead of the 2022 midterms and remind voters of Republican culpability for the riot. 

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-oppose-jan-6-commission-mistake-no-gop-allies-hearings-2022-6

8 views no comments
Supreme Court shields police from lawsuits over Miranda – Los Angeles Times
Supreme Court shields police from lawsuits over Miranda – Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — 

The Supreme Court on Thursday shielded police from being sued by suspects for failing to provide well-known Miranda warnings.

Ruling in a Los Angeles case called Vega vs. Tekoh, the justices by a 6-3 vote said that the only remedy for a Miranda violation is to block the use in court of a suspect’s incriminating comments.

High court strikes down gun laws in California, New York and six other states that restrict permits to carry a concealed weapon

The court’s conservative majority described the Miranda warnings as a set of guidelines that protect the right against self-incrimination. As such, the warnings, including the “right to remain silent,” are not constitutional rights in themselves that could result in a separate action against the police.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the court, said that “a violation of Miranda does not necessarily constitute a violation of the Constitution, and therefore such a violation does not constitute ‘the deprivation of [a] right . . . secured by the Constitution’ that would authorize a civil rights suit against a police officer.”

But Miranda warnings remain intact. For a confession to be used in court, the suspect must be warned in advance that he has a right to remain silent and that anything he says may be used against him court, the court said.

In dissent, the liberal justices said the ruling weakens the Miranda rights, and it may encourage the police to use pressure tactics against people they have taken into custody.

Justice Elena Kagan said some people are likely to be pressured to confess to a crime they did not commit.

“Today, the court strips individuals of the ability to seek a remedy for violations of the right recognized in Miranda,” she wrote. “The majority here, as elsewhere, injures the right by denying the remedy.”

In past rulings, the court said that evidence revealed by a suspect may be used against him court, even if no Miranda warnings were given.

In one such case from 2004, a man refused to talk to police who came to his house, but he agreed to show them where his gun was hidden. The firearm was then used to convict him of the crime of being a felon in possession of a gun.

At times in recent decades, police officers in California have been trained to continue questioning people who are held in custody, even if they have invoked their right to remain silent. Sometimes, these people reveal crucial details about a crime or about their involvement.

The decision is the second this month to broadly shield law enforcement officers from being sued. On June 8, the court, in another 6-3 decision, said that federal Border Patrol agents may not be sued for violating constitutional rights against the use of excessive force.

The case before the court began in 2014 when Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Vega was called to County-USC Medical Center to investigate a patient’s complaint that an orderly had sexually assaulted her. The officer said nurses told him that Terence Tekoh had transported the heavily sedated patient to her room.

Vega said he took Tekoh to a private room to talk, and the orderly admitted he had “made a mistake” and agreed to write out a full confession.

Tekoh told a very different story in court. He described an hourlong confrontation. He said the deputy closed the door and accused him of groping the patient and falsely claimed the abuse had been captured on video.

Tekoh said that he asked to speak with a lawyer but that the deputy refused, blocked him from leaving and dictated a confession that he was required to write out and sign.

Tekoh was charged with a sexual offense, and his confession was introduced as evidence at his trial. Even so, the Superior Court jury found him not guilty.

The orderly then sued Vega in federal court, accusing the deputy of violating his rights by not advising him of his rights and forcing him to confess to a crime.

A federal judge said Tekoh must prove the confession was coerced because the deputy’s failure to give the Miranda warnings alone did not violate his right against self-incrimination. The civil jury ruled for Vega.

Lawyers for Tekoh appealed and cited a 2000 Supreme Court ruling by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist that said the Miranda decision was a constitutional ruling that could not be overturned by Congress.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in a 3-0 decision. Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw said Rehnquist’s opinion “made clear that the right of a criminal defendant against having an un-Mirandized statement introduced in the prosecution’s case in chief is indeed a right secured by the Constitution.”

But the Supreme Court in January agreed to hear Vega’s appeal. He argued that while the Miranda decision was designed to protect the right against self-incrimination, it does “not itself create a constitutional right.” Therefore, Vega and other police officers may not be sued for failing to give Miranda warnings, his lawyers said.

Lawyers for police organizations had urged the court to shield officers from being sued over the questioning of potential suspects.

Charles Weisselberg, a UC Berkeley law professor, said he fears the decision gives police an incentive to pressure people who refuse to talk.

“There will be no penalty for violating Miranda in this way,” he said. “There will be zero incentive for officers to cease questioning.”

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-06-23/supreme-court-shields-police-from-being-sued-for-ignoring-miranda-warnings

7 views no comments
Education Department agrees to cancel $6 billion in debt for some 200,000 student loan borrowers – CNBC
Education Department agrees to cancel $6 billion in debt for some 200,000 student loan borrowers – CNBC

The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to cancel the student loans of around 200,000 people who brought a class-action lawsuit against the government, claiming they were stuck with federal debts from schools that were found to have misled them.

Under the terms of the Sweet v. Cardona settlement, the Education Department will immediately approve around $6 billion in debt forgiveness. The 200,000 borrowers eligible for the relief will get full cancellation of their debt, refunds of amounts paid and repair to their credit.

More from Personal Finance:
100 million adults have health-care debt
Millions of tax returns remain unprocessed
Student loan forgiveness a working class issue, Schumer says

The plaintiffs brought their lawsuit against the Trump administration in 2019, representing around 264,000 class members who said their applications for loan cancellation were being ignored by the Education Department. The suit name was later changed from Sweet v. DeVos to Sweet v. Cardona after current U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona replaced former Trump appointee Betsy DeVos.

“This momentous proposed settlement will deliver answers and certainty to borrowers who have fought long and hard for a fair resolution of their borrower defense claims after being cheated by their schools and ignored or even rejected by their government,” said Eileen Connor, director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending at Harvard Law School.

The project compiled a list of the dozens of schools that are involved in the settlement and that the Education Department has determined engaged in misconduct.

“Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to address longstanding issues relating to the borrower defense process,” Cardona said in a statement.

“We are pleased to have worked with plaintiffs to reach an agreement that will deliver billions of dollars of automatic relief to approximately 200,000 borrowers and that we believe will resolve plaintiffs’ claims in a manner that is fair and equitable for all parties.”

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/23/education-department-to-cancel-200000-student-loan-borrowers-debt.html

13 views no comments
Germany triggers gas alarm stage, accuses Russia of ‘economic attack’ – Reuters.com
Germany triggers gas alarm stage, accuses Russia of ‘economic attack’ – Reuters.com

BERLIN, June 23 (Reuters) – Germany triggered the “alarm stage” of its emergency gas plan on Thursday in response to falling Russian supplies but stopped short of allowing utilities to pass on soaring energy costs to customers in Europe’s largest economy.

The measure is the latest escalation in a standoff between Europe and Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has exposed the bloc’s dependence on Russian gas supplies and sparked a frantic search for alternative energy sources.

The step is largely symbolic, signalling to companies and households that painful cuts are on the way. But it marks a major shift for Germany, which cultivated strong energy ties with Moscow stretching back to the Cold War.

Lower gas flows sparked warnings this week that Germany could fall into recession if Russian supplies halted altogether. A major survey on Thursday showed the economy losing momentum in the second quarter. read more

“We must not fool ourselves: The cut in gas supplies is an economic attack on us by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement. read more

Gas rationing would hopefully be avoided but cannot be ruled out, Habeck said and warned:

“From now on, gas is a scarce commodity in Germany … We are therefore now obliged to reduce gas consumption, now already in summer.”

Russia has denied the supply cuts were deliberate, with state supplier Gazprom (GAZP.MM) blaming a delay in return of serviced equipment caused by Western sanctions. The Kremlin on Thursday said Russia “strictly fulfils all its obligations” to Europe.

Under its Phase 2 plan, Berlin will provide a 15 billion euro ($15.76 billion) credit line to fill gas storage facilities and launch a gas auction model this summer to encourage industrial users to save gas.

The second “alarm stage” of a three-stage emergency plan kicks in when the authorities see a high risk of long-term supply shortages. It includes a clause allowing utilities to immediately pass on high prices to industry and households. read more

Habeck said Germany was not at that point, but the clause might get triggered if the supply squeeze and price gains persisted, pushing power companies deeper into the red.

“If this minus becomes so big that the companies can’t bear it any more and they fall down, the whole market threatens to fall down at some point – so a Lehman Brothers effect in the energy system,” he said, referring to U.S. investment bank’s 2008 collapse that rippled through global financial markets.

Germany’s local utility association VKU asked the government to protect consumers with subsidies and ensuring liquidity, or risk utilities going bust because of low-income retail customers defaulting on payments.

A move to Phase 2 has been anticipated since Gazprom cut flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea to just 40% of capacity last week.

Facing dwindling deliveries from main supplier Russia, Germany has since late March been at Phase 1, which includes stricter monitoring of daily flows and a focus on filling gas storage facilities.

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the ‘Nord Stream 1’ gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke//File Photo

“The declaration of the alarm stage does not immediately change the fundamental status quo,” German energy provider E.ON (EONGn.DE) said. It was important, though, that the government was preparing and taking steps to stabilize markets and gas supply, it said an emailed statement to Reuters.

Power utility Uniper (UN01.DE) added that the move alone would not prepare Germany for the winter months if the current supply situation did not improve. read more

RISK OF FULL DISRUPTION

In the second stage, the market is still able to function without the need for state intervention that would kick in the final emergency stage.

Dutch wholesale gas prices, the European benchmark, rose as much as 8% on Thursday.

Nord Stream 1 is due to undergo maintenance on July 11-21 when flows will stop. Hanns Koenig of consultancy Aurora Energy Services in Berlin said Gazprom might find reasons to drag out the process.

“The reasons given so far for the delivery cuts already appear constructed,” he said, adding:

“Extended maintenance of Nord Stream 1 would further tighten the market and make it harder to fill gas storage until winter. This is of course in Russia’s strategic interest.”

Russia may cut off gas to Europe entirely to bolster its political leverage, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Wednesday, urging Europe to prepare now.

Russian gas flows to Europe via Nord Stream 1 and through Ukraine were stable on Thursday, while reverse flows on the Yamal pipeline edged up, operator data showed.

Several countries have outlined measures to withstand a supply squeeze and avert winter energy shortages and an inflation spike that could test Europe’s resolve to maintain sanctions on Russia.

The supply cuts have also driven German companies to contemplate painful production cuts and resorting to polluting energy sources previously considered unthinkable as they adjust to the prospect of running out of Russian gas. read more

The European Union on Wednesday signalled it would temporarily turn to coal to plug energy shortfalls, while calling Moscow’s gas supply cuts “rogue moves.”

The bloc’s climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said on Thursday that 10 of the EU’s 27 member countries have issued an “early warning” on gas supply – the first of three crisis levels identified in EU energy security regulations.

“The risk of full gas disruption is now more real than ever before,” he said.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-enter-phase-2-emergency-gas-plan-says-source-2022-06-23/

8 views no comments
In Photos: The Spectacle of the Jan. 6 Hearings Looms Over Washington – The New York Times
In Photos: The Spectacle of the Jan. 6 Hearings Looms Over Washington – The New York Times

WASHINGTON — “This is my Super Bowl,” a news anchor said off camera during the public hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But what is a Super Bowl without any stars, or even fans, I thought. Former President Donald J. Trump and his family certainly would not show up in person. Neither would Rudolph W. Giuliani, once his personal lawyer and the former New York City mayor, nor any others who would be recognizable to anyone but a politics major.

And unlike the defamation trial last month involving Johnny Depp and his former wife, Amber Heard — in which the public’s passion for salacious celebrity gossip was unmistakable — avid followers did not appear to be lined up to cheer or protest.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/us/politics/jan-6-hearings-photos.html

10 views no comments
Tense Trump meeting with DOJ leaders to take center stage at Jan. 6 hearing – NBC News
Tense Trump meeting with DOJ leaders to take center stage at Jan. 6 hearing – NBC News
7 views no comments
Afghanistan reels from deadly earthquake as crisis-hit country struggles for aid – CNN
Afghanistan reels from deadly earthquake as crisis-hit country struggles for aid – CNN

(CNN)Desperate search and rescue operations were underway in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday following an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people, a heavy blow for a country already facing a dire economic and humanitarian crisis.

          ‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘world/2022/06/22/afghanistan-earthquake-toll-aid-relief-mclean-pkg-intl-vpx.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘body-text_18’,theoplayer: {allowNativeFullscreen: true},adsection: ‘const-article-inpage’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220622103329-03-afghanistan-earthquake-062222-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = false;autoStartVideo = typeof CNN.isLoggedInVideoCheck === ‘function’ ? CNN.isLoggedInVideoCheck(autoStartVideo) : autoStartVideo;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘body-text_18’);function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId && jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.disable();}}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {var playerInstance,containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);if (CNN.Features.enableVideoObserver && Modernizr && Modernizr.phone) {CNN.VideoPlayer.observeVideoPlayer(containerId);}CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (CNN.Features.enableMobileWebFloatingPlayer &&Modernizr &&(Modernizr.phone || Modernizr.mobile || Modernizr.tablet) &&CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’ &&jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length > 0 &&CNN.contentModel.pageType === ‘article’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId);mobilePinnedView = new CNN.MobilePinnedView({element: jQuery(containerClassId),enabled: false,transition: CNN.MobileWebFloatingPlayer.transition,onPin: function () {playerInstance.hideUI();},onUnpin: function () {playerInstance.showUI();},onPlayerClick: function () {if (mobilePinnedView) {playerInstance.enterFullscreen();playerInstance.showUI();}},onDismiss: function() {CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer.disable();playerInstance.pause();}});/* Storing pinned view on CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer So that all players can see the single pinned player */CNN.Videx = CNN.Videx || {};CNN.Videx.mobile = CNN.Videx.mobile || {};CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer = mobilePinnedView;}if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentPause: function (containerId, playerId, videoId, paused) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, paused);}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen > 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays an Ad */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onAdPause: function (containerId, playerId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType, instance, isAdPause) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, isAdPause);}},onTrackingFullscreen: function (containerId, PlayerId, dataObj) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleFullscreenChange(containerId, dataObj);if (mobilePinnedView &&typeof dataObj === ‘object’ &&FAVE.Utils.os === ‘iOS’ && !dataObj.fullscreen) {jQuery(document).scrollTop(mobilePinnedView.getScrollPosition());playerInstance.hideUI();}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.enable();}/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays a video. */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);

          MUST WATCH

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/asia/afghanistan-earthquake-aid-rescue-search-intl-hnk/index.html

    8 views no comments
    Biden’s latest economic message: a recession is not definite – The Washington Post
    Biden’s latest economic message: a recession is not definite – The Washington Post

    But Robert Wolf, the former CEO of UBS Americas and an Obama economic adviser, has championed the step, including during meetings last week at the White House with top officials. Wolf said he met with Ron Klain, the chief of staff, Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, and Heather Boushey, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, to discuss the gas tax holiday among other economic issues.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/22/biden-recession-not-inevitable/

    6 views no comments
    House GOP leaders oppose bipartisan gun deal as Senate moves toward passage – CNN
    House GOP leaders oppose bipartisan gun deal as Senate moves toward passage – CNN

    By Melanie Zanona and Clare Foran, CNN

    Updated 7:16 AM ET, Thu June 23, 2022

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/politics/house-republicans-bipartisan-gun-bill/index.html

    10 views no comments
    Gunman at large after shooting 2 people, 1 fatally, on San Francisco train – ABC News
    Gunman at large after shooting 2 people, 1 fatally, on San Francisco train – ABC News

    The search continued Thursday for a gunman who shot two people, one fatally, on a packed Muni commuter train in San Francisco on Wednesday, police said.

    The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. as the light-rail train was moving between stations, according to San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Kathryn Winters.

    Winters said police were initially called to the city’s Forest Hill Muni station for a report of a shooting, but the train had already pulled away. Officers caught up to the train at the busy Castro Street Station, where they discovered the two victims, Winters said.

    Police late Wednesday released a photo of a person of interest connected to the shooting.

    Winters said the gunman and commuters aboard the train ran off as soon as it stopped and the doors opened at the station.

    Winters said one victim, a man, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second individual was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

    The shooting happened ahead of this Sunday’s Pride Parade in San Francisco and in the heart of the city’s popular Castro District, which is expected to be filled with revelers celebrating LGBTQ pride this weekend. Winters said preliminary evidence showed that the shooting has no connection to this coming weekend’s activities or directed at the city’s LGBTQ community.

    San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar told ABC station KGO-TV in San Francisco that police informed her that the shooting occurred during a confrontation the gunman had with the victim who died.

    “We do know the shooting happened after a heated verbal argument,” Melgar said.

    It was not immediately clear whether the gunman and the deceased victim knew each other. She said the second victim who was wounded was an innocent bystander.

    Winters said on Wednesday that homicide detectives were securing surveillance video from the train and the Forest Hill and Castro stations in hopes there was footage of the shooting that could help them identify the assailant.

    Police had released a vague description of the perpetrator, saying he was a man wearing dark clothes and a hooded sweatshirt.

    Melgar asked any commuters who were on the train and witnessed the shooting to contact police immediately.

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

    Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/gunman-large-shooting-people-fatally-muni-train-san/story?id=85565093

    8 views no comments
    European leaders expected to formally accept Ukraine as a candidate to join the EU – CNBC
    European leaders expected to formally accept Ukraine as a candidate to join the EU – CNBC

    A number of nations in the Western Balkans, located in southern and eastern Europe, have long been promised accession to the EU, but negotiations have yet to begin. Kosovo, for example, has been waiting for four years to have visa requirements lifted for travel to the European Union.

    The risk for the EU is that it may be seen as giving preferential treatment to Kyiv — upsetting other parts of the continent and potentially pushing them closer to Russia.

    “We have to remain vigilant and give the same priority to the Western Balkans as to Ukraine,” Austrian ministers Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler said in a letter late last month. “We want and need those countries firmly anchored in our camp.”

    For Kosovo, it’s an issue of geopolitics.

    “This is also an issue of EU credibility, and also the EU understanding that bringing the Western Balkans as a region, embracing it and bringing it to the table is also a strategic interest of the European Union itself, because as I said earlier, the more the EU takes its attention away, the more other malign actors will be using this space, mainly Russia,” Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu told CNBC Wednesday.

    Her comments should be taken with a degree of caution, however, as Kosovo has a long history of conflict with Serbia, a staunch Russian ally. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and is recognized by 110 countries, including the United States, but not by Serbia and Russia. It has yet to become a U.N. member state.

    Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/23/ukraines-eu-candidate-status-decision-kosovo-says-eu-needs-to-do-more.html

    10 views no comments
    Ron Johnson embroiled in controversy over staff handing Pence fake electors list – The Hill
    Ron Johnson embroiled in controversy over staff handing Pence fake electors list – The Hill

    Conservative Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who faces a tough re-election race this year, finds himself embroiled in new controversy after the House Jan. 6 Select Committee revealed Tuesday that his staff attempted to hand a list of fake electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence.  

    Johnson is facing tough questions about how much he knew of his staff’s effort to get Pence to recognize an alternate set of electors for Michigan and Wisconsin, two critical states that helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election.  

    Johnson on Wednesday declined to say whether he authorized his aide Sean Riley to hand the list electors to Pence on Jan. 6, 2021, or whether he knew beforehand what his aide planned to do. He also declined to say whether he knew the contents of the envelope that was to be given to Pence’s staff. 

    “This happened so fast, this is 18 months ago. This just happened, we took care of it. End of story. There’s nothing else to say about this,” he said when asked what he knew of the transaction. 

    “There’s nothing else to say about this,” he said, accusing reporters who asked him for more details of “carrying water for the Democrat Party.” 

    Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Johnson, issued a statement Tuesday claiming that Johnson “had no foreknowledge” that the fake slate of electors was going to be delivered to his office and generally minimized his involvement in the attempted transaction.  

    “The senator had no involvement in the creation of an alternate slate of electors and had no foreknowledge that it was going to be delivered to our office. This was a staff-to-staff exchange. His new Chief of Staff contacted the Vice President’s office,” Henning tweeted.  

    But Johnson told reporters Tuesday afternoon “I was basically unaware of it.” 

    “My chief of staff contacted the vice president’s staff and said, ‘Do you want this?’ They said ‘no’ and we didn’t deliver it and that’s the end of story,” he said.  

    Johnson said “somebody delivered” the envelope to his office, and that asked that his staff deliver it to the vice president. The senator declined to say who reached out to his office.  

    Asked Tuesday afternoon whether he supported the effort to get the slate of electors to Pence, Johnson said “I had no knowledge of this.” 

    “I had no idea this was even going to be delivered to us. It got delivered staff to staff. My chief of staff did the right thing, contacted the vice president’s staff. They said they didn’t want it so we didn’t deliver it,” he said.  

    But even fellow Republicans find it hard to believe that Johnson’s aide would be bold enough to give a fake slate of electors to Pence in attempt to stop the certification of Biden’s victory without alerting his boss in advance.  

    Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Wednesday said he wants to know more about who was involved to the effort to get Pence to throw out the duly elected electors for Michigan and Wisconsin.  

    “My initial reaction was one of shock. Then Sen. Johnson said he was unaware of it. I and others like myself would like to dig into that, find out just who knew what and when. Obviously an attempt a false slate of electors would strike at the heart of our democracy,” he said.  

    The House panel investigating last year’s attack on the Capitol on Tuesday made public a chain of texts showing Riley’s attempts to set up a hand-off between the senator and vice president.  

    “Johnson needs to hand something to VPOTUS please advise,” Johnson’s aide texted Pence aide, Chris Hodgson, shortly before Congress convened in a joint session to certify the election results.  

    When Hodgson asked what it was, Riley texted: “Alternate slate of electors for MI and WI because archivist didn’t receive them.” 

    “Do not give that to him,” Hodgson replied tersely.  

    The revelation outraged Johnson’s Democratic colleagues, who say that his staff may have broken the law by attempting to submit a false set of electors to Pence.  

    “Absolutely appalling if that took place,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). “I hope the details are fully explored by the press in a way that people get their hands around and understand how significant that is when you start trying to substitute electors from what a state has certified and submitted.” 

    Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), whose state’s duly elected electors might have been thrown out if Pence accepted and deployed the contents of the envelope, said trying to overturn the results of a legitimate election would be a violation of law. 

    “First of all, it’s horrifying that they actually had a separate group of electors and thought that was okay. I don’t know what happened with Sen. Johnson but he certainly has promoted the ‘Big Lie,’” Stabenow said.  

    Asked whether an Ethics Committee investigation is warranted, Stabenow said, “It is very serious. We’ll leave it to the Ethics Committee.” 

    But she added “it’s serious if he in anyway was acknowledging any of this as legitimate.” 

    “Fake electors literally would be an effort to overturn the government,” she added.  

    Johnson said Democrats are already attacking him over the attempted hand-off.  

    Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is running in the Senate Democratic primary to challenge Johnson in November, accused the Republican senator of trying to undermine democracy.  

    “He literally tried to hand Mike Pence fake ballots. Once again, Ron Johnson has proven he’s a danger to our country and our fundamental rights. I’m calling for him to resign immediately,” Barnes said.  

    Philip Schulman, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said instead of focusing on what’s best for Wisconsinites, “Johnson’s focus in Washington is working to undermine democracy.”

    A Marquette Law School Poll of 803 registered Wisconsin voters released on Wednesday showed Barnes leading Johnson 46 percent to 44 percent in a hypothetic matchup.  

    The same poll showed Johnson trailing Democratic candidate Sarah Godlewski by two points and narrowly beating Democratic candidate Alex Lasry by three points.  

    Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin-based Republican strategist, however, predicted the impact of the Jan. 6 committee’s revelation will have little impact on the outcome of the Senate race.  

    “Not many people care,” he said of the news coming out of the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings. “It really is kind of a D.C. show. Whether or not this has any traction amongst voters here, today I would tell you no.” 

    Scholz said there’s “so much content” in the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation that “it bounces off people.” 

    He acknowledged that Democratic voters are going to be fired up over the revelation “but they’re not going to vote for Ron Johnson anyway.”

    And, he said, “I don’t think Republicans are going to take this as something that’s going to cause them to vote against Johnson.” 

    Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3533609-ron-johnson-embroiled-in-controversy-over-staff-handing-pence-fake-electors-list/

    12 views no comments
    Uvalde police chief placed on leave amid outrage over shooter inaction – The Guardian US
    Uvalde police chief placed on leave amid outrage over shooter inaction – The Guardian US

    The police chief for the Texas elementary school where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers has been placed on administrative leave amid outrage that officers did not intervene sooner to stop the shooter.

    Under the command of Pete Arredondo, the police chief for the Uvalde school district, officers held back for about an hour and 15 min outside the classrooms where an 18-year-old with an AR-15 had opened fire on children and teachers, according to the Texas state police.

    Amid ongoing federal and state investigations into the police’s conduct during the 24 May massacre at Uvalde’s Robb elementary, district superintendent Hal Harrell announced that Arredondo would be placed on leave.

    “Today, I am still without details of the investigations being conducted by various agencies,” Harrell said. “Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date.”

    Neither Arredondo nor his attorney immediately responded to a request for comment.

    At a state hearing investigating the shooting, Steve McCraw, Texas’ public safety chief, said the police response was an “abject failure” and that officers could have stopped the shooter three minutes after arriving on scene.

    Uvalde police chief Pete Arredondo speaks at a press conference. Photograph: Mikala Compton/Reuters

    “The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering Room 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children,” McCraw said.

    McCraw’s scathing rebuke of Arredondo came following weeks of contradictory and misleading statements from police and local officials about officers’ response to the shooting. This week, the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV found that officers were equipped with the firepower and equipment needed to breach the classroom doors and stop the gunman – and transcripts and records obtained by the Texas Tribune revealed that some officers were raring to go despite orders to stay back.

    During the massacre, parents begged officers to move in and called 911 for help as officers waited in the hallway.

    Outrage against the officers who stood back for 77 minutes as students died has mounted since then. Arredondo “failed us,” said Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza, one of the students killed. “We’re begging – get this man out of our lives,” she said at a meeting calling for his resignation from public posts.

    Arredondo was also sworn in as a Uvalde city council member not long after the shooting, but has not been attending meetings. The council denied his request early Tuesday for a leave of absence from future meetings. The mayor said he would vote to replace Arredondo if he misses three consecutive meetings.

    The embattled police chief has differed from other law enforcement sources in his account of what happened at Robb elementary, telling the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself the commander on scene.

    In light of contradictory statements from law enforcement agencies, Texas state senator Roland Gutierrez on Wednesday sued department of public safety as a way to force it to release records detailing officers’ response to the shooting.

    “In the wake of the senseless tragedy, the people of Uvalde and Texas have demanded answers from their government,” Gutierrez said in the lawsuit. “To date, they have been met with lies, misstatements, and shifts of blame.”

    Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/22/uvalde-police-chief-leave-shooter-inaction

    7 views no comments
    Uvalde school district places police Chief Pete Arredondo on administrative leave, superintendent announces – CNN
    Uvalde school district places police Chief Pete Arredondo on administrative leave, superintendent announces – CNN

    (CNN)Uvalde school district police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo was placed on leave Wednesday, according to a news release from Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell.

            ‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘us/2022/06/21/uvalde-robb-elementary-school-shooting-jose-flores-sr-new-day-sot-vpx.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘body-text_40’,theoplayer: {allowNativeFullscreen: true},adsection: ‘const-article-inpage’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220525210755-jose-flores-jr-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = false;autoStartVideo = typeof CNN.isLoggedInVideoCheck === ‘function’ ? CNN.isLoggedInVideoCheck(autoStartVideo) : autoStartVideo;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘body-text_40’);function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId && jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.disable();}}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {var playerInstance,containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);if (CNN.Features.enableVideoObserver && Modernizr && Modernizr.phone) {CNN.VideoPlayer.observeVideoPlayer(containerId);}CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (CNN.Features.enableMobileWebFloatingPlayer &&Modernizr &&(Modernizr.phone || Modernizr.mobile || Modernizr.tablet) &&CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’ &&jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length > 0 &&CNN.contentModel.pageType === ‘article’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId);mobilePinnedView = new CNN.MobilePinnedView({element: jQuery(containerClassId),enabled: false,transition: CNN.MobileWebFloatingPlayer.transition,onPin: function () {playerInstance.hideUI();},onUnpin: function () {playerInstance.showUI();},onPlayerClick: function () {if (mobilePinnedView) {playerInstance.enterFullscreen();playerInstance.showUI();}},onDismiss: function() {CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer.disable();playerInstance.pause();}});/* Storing pinned view on CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer So that all players can see the single pinned player */CNN.Videx = CNN.Videx || {};CNN.Videx.mobile = CNN.Videx.mobile || {};CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer = mobilePinnedView;}if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentPause: function (containerId, playerId, videoId, paused) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, paused);}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen > 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays an Ad */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onAdPause: function (containerId, playerId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType, instance, isAdPause) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, isAdPause);}},onTrackingFullscreen: function (containerId, PlayerId, dataObj) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleFullscreenChange(containerId, dataObj);if (mobilePinnedView &&typeof dataObj === ‘object’ &&FAVE.Utils.os === ‘iOS’ && !dataObj.fullscreen) {jQuery(document).scrollTop(mobilePinnedView.getScrollPosition());playerInstance.hideUI();}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.enable();}/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays a video. */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);

            MUST WATCH

            Interactive: How law enforcement’s narrative of the Uvalde massacre has changed

      CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Andy Rose, Christina Maxouris, Amanda Musa, Rosalina Nieves, Amy Simonson, Travis Caldwell and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

      Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting-officials-wednesday/index.html

      19 views no comments
      Biden calls for 3-month suspension of gas and diesel taxes – The Associated Press
      Biden calls for 3-month suspension of gas and diesel taxes – The Associated Press

      WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election-year move meant to ease financial pressures that was greeted with doubts by many lawmakers.

      The Democratic president also called on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar relief, and he delivered a public critique of the energy industry for prioritizing profits over production. It would take action by lawmakers in Washington and in statehouses across the country to actually bring relief to consumers.

      “It doesn’t reduce all the pain but it will be a big help,” Biden said, using the bully pulpit when his administration believes it has run out of direct levers to address soaring gas prices. “I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well.”

      At issue is the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on diesel fuel. If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save roughly 3.6% at the pump when prices are averaging about $5 a gallon nationwide.

      Biden’s push faces uphill odds in Congress, which must act in order to suspend the tax, and where many lawmakers, including some in his own party, have expressed reservations. Even many economists view the idea of a gas tax holiday with skepticism.

      Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered a noncommittal response to Biden’s proposal, saying she would look to see if there was support for it in Congress.

      “We will see where the consensus lies on a path forward for the president’s proposal in the House and the Senate,” Pelosi said.

      Unlikely to pass a gas tax holiday through the 50-50 Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday that Democrats will focus instead on their bill to crack down on oil companies “manipulating the market” for higher prices and profits. “We’re going to focus on that issue,” Schumer said.

      In his speech, Biden tied higher energy prices to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said, “defending freedom, defending democracy was not going to go without cost for the American people and the rest of the free world.” The president noted that lawmakers backed sanctions against Russia and aiding Ukraine despite the risks of inflation from resulting energy and food shortages.

      Democrats, Republicans and independents in Congress chose to support Ukraine, “knowing full well the cost,” he said.

      “So for all those Republicans in Congress criticizing me today for high gas prices in America: Are you now saying you were wrong to support Ukraine?” Biden said. “Are you saying that we would rather have lower gas prices in America than (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s iron fist in Europe? I don’t believe that. ”

      The president said “states are now in a strong position to be able to afford to take some of these actions,” thanks to federal support from the 2021 COVID-19 relief bill. But there is no guarantee that states will tap into their budgets to suspend their taxes on gas or to deliver rebates to consumers, as Biden is requesting.

      Barack Obama, during the 2008 presidential campaign, called the idea of a gas tax holiday a “gimmick” that allowed politicians to “say that they did something.” He also warned that oil companies could offset the tax relief by increasing their prices.

      The administration is saying that gas tax suspensions at the federal and state levels as well as energy companies pouring their profits into production and refining capacity could cut gas prices by $1 a gallon.

      High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s electoral and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump to lows that bode poorly for defending Democratic control of the House and the Senate in November.

      Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including the release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve and greater ethanol blending this summer — have not delivered savings at the pump, a risk that carries over to the idea of a gas tax holiday.

      The president can do remarkably little to fix prices that are set by global markets, profit-driven companies, consumer demand and aftershocks from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the embargoes that followed. The underlying problem is a shortage of oil and refineries that produce gas, a challenge a tax holiday cannot necessarily fix.

      Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimated that the majority of the 8.6% inflation seen over the past 12 months in the U.S. comes from higher commodity prices due to Russia’s invasion and continued disruptions from the coronavirus.

      “In the immediate near term, it is critical to stem the increase in oil prices,” Zandi said last week, suggesting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and a nuclear deal with Iran could help to boost supplies and lower prices. Republican lawmakers have tried to shift more blame to Biden, saying he created a hostile environment for domestic oil producers, causing their output to stay below pre-pandemic levels.

      Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell mocked the gas tax holiday as an “ineffective stunt” in a Wednesday floor speech. “This ineffective administration’s big new idea is a silly proposal that senior members of their own party have already shot down well in advance,” he said.

      Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he would not support suspending the gas tax. “I’m going to be working against it. I have the largest committee in Congress, so we’ll see.”

      DeFazio said a better course would be to tax oil companies on “windfall profits.”

      Administration officials said the $10 billion cost of the gas tax holiday would be paid for and the Highway Trust Fund kept whole, even though the gas taxes make up a substantial source of revenue for the fund. The officials did not specify any new revenue sources.

      The president has also called on energy companies to accept lower profit margins to increase oil production and refining capacity for gasoline.

      This has increased tensions with oil producers: Biden has judged the companies to be making “more money than God.” That kicked off a chain of events in which the head of Chevron, Michael Wirth, sent a letter to the White House saying that the administration “has largely sought to criticize, and at times vilify, our industry.”

      Asked about the letter, Biden said of Wirth: “He’s mildly sensitive. I didn’t know they’d get their feelings hurt that quickly.”

      Energy companies are scheduled to meet Thursday with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to discuss ways to increase supply.

      ___

      Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Matthew Daly and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

      Source Article from https://apnews.com/221ce44407c35e38cd8007e77095eeb4

      7 views no comments
      Afghanistan earthquake: Thousands desperate for food, medicine and shelter after 1,000 killed – NBC News
      Afghanistan earthquake: Thousands desperate for food, medicine and shelter after 1,000 killed – NBC News
      7 views no comments