Four U.S. House members accused of ethics violations. “The congressmen in question are Reps. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn., Mike Kelly, R-Pa., Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., and Alex Mooney, R-W.Va…. investigations into the potential violations now shift to the House Committee on Ethics, a 10-member panel with the power to subpoena and sanction House members.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-ethics-office-report-finds-substantial-reason-to-believe-four-congressmen-violated-ethics-laws The alleged violations included questionable expenditures, violations of campaign finance rules and violations of rules on personal investments.
Authorities claim family who died while hiking in Sierra National Forest died of heat and dehydration. “The family was found dead on Aug. 17 on the Savage Lundy Trail near the Merced River in the Sierra National Forest…. The area where they were hiking had temperatures between 107 degrees and 109 degrees at one point and there was little shade, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said…. Gerrish and Chung were wearing shorts and tank top attire on the hike and their water container was empty, he said…. water samples downstream [emphasis added] from where the family died showed high levels of toxic algae.” https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-family-dead-hiking-heat The map in the article shows they had been hiking along a river before they began their ascent back to the parking area. If you were suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration, wouldn’t you back-track to the river you just passed, get in to cool off, and take your chances drinking the water? You could maybe filter it through a shirt or something. Risky, but better than dying of thirst. If the river is moving fast, which it likely does at that altitude, it seems unlikely there would be a high concentration of poisonous algae. The story even points out that the poisonous algae was found downstream. Also, they all died simultaneously? Even the dog? Wouldn’t the dog be smart enough to go back to the river? Wouldn’t the dog be more resistant to heat exhaustion and dehydration? Wouldn’t the strongest person try to make it to the car to get help, or go back to the river to get water, instead of sitting down by the trail with the others to die? It’s possible that they all collapsed at the same time, but it seems really odd. Maybe no one was wearing a hat? It looks like a fairly challenging hike, so you’d assume they were in decent physical condition before attempting it. “The trail has several steep inclines and the couple had hiked approximately 6.1 miles in temperatures ranging from the mid 70s to around 108 degrees, according to [Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy] Briese. The trail had little to no shade, he said.” https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/21/us/california-family-yosemite-cause-of-death-trnd/index.html 6 miles is a long walk, but even if you walk at only 2 mph you can do it in 3 hours. Hard to believe they would go from healthy to dead in 3 hours with an 85 ounce water bottle. If they were wearing hats it would be even more unlikely.
Former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 911 caller is re-sentenced to less than five years. “[Mohamed] Noor had been convicted of third-degree murder for the slaying of Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15, 2017 and sentenced to 12 1/2 years behind bars, before the state Supreme Court tossed that charge last month. That left his conviction for second-degree manslaughter as the top conviction, leading to Thursday’s new sentencing hearing…. Under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Noor — with good behavior — is eligible for supervised release after serving two-thirds of his time…. [Hennepin County Judge Kathryn] Quaintance’s sentencing likely means he’ll walk free in the middle of 2022.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-minneapolis-police-officer-resentenced-57-months-prison-killing-911-n1281829
U.S. did fund ‘gain of function’ research at Wuhan lab, admits NIH. “The National Institutes of Health is now admitting to funding gain-of-function research on bats infected with coronaviruses at a lab in Wuhan, China despite repeated denials from Dr. Anthony Fauci that U.S. tax dollars were used on the funding. In a letter to Rep. James Comer, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, an NIH official admits that a ‘limited experiment’ was conducted in order to test if ‘spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses circulating in China were capable of binding to the human ACE2 receptor in a mouse model’…. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly denied any NIH money went to such research in Wuhan, but his organization has given millions of dollars in grant money to the EcoHealth Alliance which funneled at least $600,000 to Wuhan coronavirus research.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nih-acknowledges-us-funded-gain-of-function-wuhan-lab-despite-faucis-denials The next question is, did Fauci really not know, or was someone telling him not to admit this? And if it’s the latter, why?
Man who advocated ‘hunting down’ Donald Trump’s opponents after Capitol riot sentenced to 14 months in prison. “Prepare our weapons, and then go get ’em,” [Troy} Smocks allegedly posted on January 7. “Lets hunt these cowards down like the Traitors that each of them are. This includes RINOS,1 Dems, and Tech Execs. We now have the green light. [All] who resist US are enemies of Our Constitution, and must be treated as such. Today, the cowards ran as We took the Capital. They have it back now, only because We left. It wasn’t the building that We wanted. . . it was them!” https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/21/politics/troy-anthony-smocks-january-6-sentence/index.html Despite having a ‘long criminal history’, Smocks’ sentence was far lighter than the 44 month sentence imposed on Daniel Baker, who was convicted of trying to organize armed resistance to a possible pro-Trump right-wing coup in Florida. Baker had no criminal record at all.
Poaching of elephants for ivory has altered their evolution, claim researchers. “The survivors were likely to share a key characteristic: half the females were naturally tuskless — they simply never developed tusks — while before the war, less than a fifth lacked tusks…. After the war, those tuskless surviving females passed on their genes with expected, as well as surprising, results. About half their daughters were tuskless. More perplexing, two-thirds of their offspring were female.” https://apnews.com/article/science-africa-environment-and-nature-elephants-mozambique-048e181c6dadc591b1f43c6e963f0f0e The article doesn’t say this, but I’m assuming all male elephants have tusks.
Texas governor Greg Abbott appoints Stop the Steal lawyer as his secretary of state. “[John] Scott was listed as counsel on Trump’s lawsuit to try to block certification of the results of Pennsylvania’s election in November [2020]…. ‘John understands the importance of protecting the integrity of our elections and building the Texas brand on an international stage,’ [Abbott] said. ‘I am confident that John’s experience and expertise will enhance his oversight and leadership over the biggest and most thorough election audit in the country.'” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-governor-appoints-former-trump-lawyer-who-challenged-2020-results-n1282096
Only person to receive a voter fraud detection bounty so far from Texas was a Pennsylvania poll worker. “One week after the presidential election in 2020 where President Joe Biden toppled former President Donald Trump, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set a bounty of up to $1 million to anyone who could find instances of voter fraud in the US…. Eleven months later, Patrick’s finally doled out his first reward: the minimum amount of $25,000 to a progressive poll worker in Pennsylvania who turned in a man that voted twice…. Ralph Thurman, a 72-year-old Republican man who pleaded guilty in September 2021 to voting twice: once under his name and once using the name of his Democratic-aligned son.” https://news.yahoo.com/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-170656112.html
U.S. intelligence agencies release joint report on threat of climate change. “The report paints a picture of a world failing to co-operate, leading to dangerous competition and instability…. It warns countries will try to defend their economies and seek advantage in developing new technology. Some nations may also resist the desire to act, with more than 20 countries relying on fossil fuels for greater than 50% of total export revenues…. The US intelligence community identifies 11 countries and two regions where energy, food, water and health security are at particular risk…. Five of the 11 countries are in South and East Asia – Afghanistan, Burma, India, Pakistan and North Korea – four countries are in Central America and the Caribbean – Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. Colombia and Iraq are the others. Central Africa and small states in the Pacific are also at risk.” https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59004088 The report also notes the likelihood of massive refugee flows from these countries.
Alexei Navalny dedicates EU human rights prize to corruption fighters. “Navalny won The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Wednesday, the European Union’s top human rights award…. ‘I dedicate my prize to all kinds anti-corruption fighters around the world: from journalists to lawyers, from officials (there are some, yes) and deputies to those who take to the streets to support this fight. I wish them perseverance and courage even in the scariest of moments.'” https://thehill.com/policy/international/577827-navalny-dedicates-humans-rights-award-to-anti-corruption-fighters
Chinese news outlet dropped from list of media organizations whose articles can be shared. “The Cyberspace Administration of China announced an approved list of some 1,300 domestic media outlets, social media accounts and government agencies, banning internet news providers from using anything else…. Caixin is among the few news outlets in China that criticize government officials for perceived shortcomings. In 2016, it took the unprecedented step of reporting on how one of its own articles had been deleted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, exposing a practice that the government has sought to keep out of the public eye.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-21/china-curbs-influence-of-news-outlet-that-s-angered-officials
‘Anonymous’ hacks Donald Trump’s new social media platform. “Within two hours, hackers had gained access to a private version of the social network, creating fake accounts for Mr. Trump; the far-right personality Stephen K. Bannon; Ron Watkins, the QAnon conspiracy theorist; and Twitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey, who barred Mr. Trump from Twitter after his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6…. After a several-year hiatus, Anonymous has re-emerged as a digital force against the far right. The collective recently took down a Texas Republican website after the passage of an anti-abortion bill, replacing the site with a Planned Parenthood fund-raiser. And last month, Anonymous was behind a breach of Epik, an internet services company popular with the far right, dumping 220 gigabytes of data, including personal details of its customers.” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/technology/trump-truth-social-hackers.html
NPR story profiles L.A. landlord victimized by ‘pandemic squatters’, doesn’t give readers any idea how often this actually happens. “… as soon as the pandemic hit, the new renters, both in their late 20s, stopped paying the rent…. Eviction moratoriums at the local, state, and federal level clearly helped millions of people keep a roof over their heads as they struggled financially. But some other renters took advantage of the protections…. Finally, in July, the renters left unexpectedly in the middle of the night…. the couple hadn’t paid rent in 16 months which added up to $32,000 in lost rent.” https://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1046154251/they-refused-to-pay-rent-and-stole-the-fridge-landlords-deal-with-pandemic-squat They stole the appliances too!
Eswatini security forces reportedly opened fire on pro-democracy protesters, wounding 30. “The demonstration took place as the kingdom, formerly known as Swaziland, shut down internet access, making it difficult to gather information from across the country. Internet access remained cut off on Thursday. ‘Nurses and other workers converged at the Coronation Park were met with unprecedented show of force by the police and the army,’ the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union said in a statement.” https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/mediators-expected-in-eswatini-as-nurses-report-shootings-amid-protests-20211021
AFL-CIO leaders block vote on boycott, divestment, and sanctions resolution against Israel. “In late September, an AFL-CIO official sent a memo to the San Francisco Labor Council with the subject line ‘Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Resolution’. The memo, obtained by The Intercept, said the council ‘may not hold a vote on [the] resolution and thus any debate is not germane at your meeting’, and it cited a procedural stipulation that appears to disallow local affiliates of the AFL-CIO from codifying positions that do not align with the AFL-CIO’s.” https://theintercept.com/2021/10/21/palestine-bds-san-francisco-labor-afl-cio/ “In the largest turnout of protesters since the ‘Free South Africa’ protests began Nov. 21, more than 500 demonstrators picketed the embassy here, and three national labor officials were arrested, including AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Thomas R. Donahue. The second-ranking official of the labor federation, Donahue called for a ban on South African imports and a possible full-scale boycott if the white minority regime there does not change its policies.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/12/05/unions-join-protests-of-apartheid/c0737abe-464a-4463-bdbf-ed0e756d2340/
Human Rights Watch accuses Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Border Patrol of sexual and physical abuse of asylum seekers. “A stash of redacted documents released to the human rights group after six years of legal tussles uncover more than 160 cases of misconduct and abuse…. The papers record events between 2016 and 2021 that range from child sexual assault to enforced hunger, threats of rape and brutal detention conditions.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/21/us-border-agents-shocking-abuses-asylum-seekers
Presumably sensing which way the wind is blowing, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer finally endorses Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, as voters prepare to head to the polls. “Walton, a democratic socialist, welcomed Schumer’s support in a tweet, saying she was ‘honored’ to receive his endorsement and vowing that together they ‘will beat back these Republican attacks and build the safe, healthy Buffalo we all need and deserve’. The development comes after several Walton supporters and party members in the state called for the resignation or removal of New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs after he compared the progressive mayoral candidate to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/10/21/schumer-endorses-inspiring-community-leader-india-walton-buffalos-next-mayor
Federal judge rules that Afghan man’s 14 year imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay prison camp was illegal since he was not affiliated with al Qaeda. “Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday granted Gul’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus, making him the first Guantánamo detainee in over a decade to win such a case against the government. Mehta ruled that the United States had no legal basis for imprisoning Gul, a 40-year-old militant captured in Afghanistan in 2007, because he was not a member of al-Qaeda…. While a prisoner at Guantánamo, Gul has been subjected to physical and psychological torture, ‘including being beaten, hung by his wrists, deprived of food and water, and prevented from praying’, as well as ‘sleep deprivation, extreme cold temperatures, and solitary confinement’, according to the human rights group Reprieve.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/10/21/historic-victory-us-judge-rules-guantanamo-detainees-imprisonment-illegal
Progressive News Service 