Senate sex tape: Congressional staffer allegedly seen in leaked video could face charges, legal expert says
An alleged congressional staffer who filmed an explicit sex tape inside a Senate hearing room could face criminal charges, one lawyer argues. The U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News they were aware of an amateur pornographic video published by the Daily Caller on Friday, which shows someone identified as a congressional staffer, engaging in sex with another man in Hart Senate Office Building room 216. According to the Daily Caller, the video was leaked after being “shared in a private group for gay men in politics.” The men’s identities haven’t been confirmed. Posts on social media claimed the alleged staffer worked for Sen. Ben Cardin’s office. Hours after the story broke, Cardin’s office announced that a legislative aide had been dismissed but did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. NSFW: CAPITOL HILL ROCKED BY SEX TAPE SCANDAL FEATURING FAMOUS SENATE HEARING ROOM “We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” his office wrote in a statement. In a blog post, Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley, an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law, discussed possible charges that could be brought. Turley said, “the question is whether this unofficial use would constitute trespass.” “It also uses an official area for personal purposes, though it is not clear if there were any commercial benefits garnered from the video found on various sites,” Turley wrote. Turley said one possible charge could fall under D.C. code section 22-1312, which discusses lewd, indecent, or obscene acts. “It is unlawful for a person, in public, to make an obscene or indecent exposure of his or her genitalia or anus, to engage in masturbation, or to engage in a sexual act as defined in § 22-3001(8). It is unlawful for a person to make an obscene or indecent sexual proposal to a minor. A person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, imprisoned for not more than 90 days, or both,” the criminal code states. SENATE DEMOCRATS AT ODDS WITH SCHUMER OVER BORDER TALKS: ‘TERRIBLY MISTAKEN’ Turley says that the question regarding charges falling under this section would be whether a locked Senate committee room is considered “in public.” Whether or not any video filmed in the hearing room was used to make money could also “have bearing on potential charges,” Turley argued. He also brought up 18 U.S.C. 641, which addresses improper use of public money, property, or records. “The Capitol police could argue that this constitutes purloining or using government property for personal purposes,” Turley wrote. “The key factor is the fact that this videotape was made with the apparent intent to publish or show others. Sex in congressional offices — by both members and staff — have long been known to occur on Capitol Hill. Yet, this was a public hearing room, albeit closed at the time, and a tape made for what appears public viewing.” Addressing trespassing, Turley said “the question may be whether this was access under legal authority for a staffer. The Capitol police can argue that access to a staff position does not mean a license for entry for any purpose.” “Does a staffer have legal authority to enter any hearing room for any purpose? That could be a defense raised by counsel, but it would seem likely that any access is premised on an official function,” he wrote. U.S. Capitol police told Fox News of the video, “We are aware and looking into this.” Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
NSFW: Capitol Hill rocked by sex tape scandal featuring famous Senate hearing room
The United States Senate was rocked by a gay sex tape scandal after a video of two men engaged in an explicit sex act in a Senate hearing room appeared online. U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News they were aware of an amateur pornographic video published by the Daily Caller late Friday. The extremely graphic footage shows someone identified as a congressional staffer having sex with another man on the dais in hearing room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. The identities of the men in the video have not been confirmed. The Daily Caller reported that the video was leaked in a chat and was “shared in a private group for gay men in politics.” Posts on social media claimed the alleged staffer worked for Sen. Ben Cardin’s office. Hours after the story broke, Cardin’s office announced that a legislative aide had been dismissed but did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. SENATE DEMOCRATS AT ODDS WITH SCHUMER OVER BORDER TALKS: ‘TERRIBLY MISTAKEN’ A senior Congressional official told Fox News that if the sex acts were consensual, “no crime was committed,” regardless of the locale. Even so, the official said the act could have violated Senate ethics rules. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital has reached out to several members of the Senate Ethics Committee, including ranking member Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., but has not received a response. DEM SEN PRAISED ‘DIVERSITY AND EQUITY’ EFFORTS OF ISLAMIC GROUP WHOSE LEADER WAS ‘HAPPY TO SEE’ HAMAS ATTACK FOX News contributor Jonathan Turley suggested in a blog post that the individuals seen in the video could face potential criminal charges, even if the act was consensual. “Obviously, the videotape will result in the termination of any staffers involved. However, the question is any possible criminal charge,” Turley wrote on his website. According to Turley, the charges would hinge on whether the unofficial use of a Senate hearing room for the sexcapade would constitute trespass. GOP LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL ABOUT VOTING ON BORDER DEAL BEFORE CHRISTMAS AS DEMS THREATEN TO DELAY BREAK “One obvious criminal provision under the D.C. code is Section 22-1312 for lewd, indecent, or obscene acts,” Turley wrote. “The question is whether this is ‘in public’ in a locked committee room — any more than sex in a congressional office after hours would be viewed as ‘in public.’’ Room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building is a famous hearing room. The dais where the graphic video was filmed is a place from which U.S. Senators have grilled high-profile presidential nominees, including justices of the Supreme Court. Asked about the video, U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News “We are aware and looking into this.” Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
ICE nabs illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member released back onto streets after manslaughter conviction
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested an illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member who was released onto the streets in Maryland in 2019 after he served prison time for voluntary manslaughter, despite an ICE request to transfer him into its custody so he could be deported. The agency announced that it had arrested the 26-year-old Honduran on December 12, who had been convicted of the crime in 2016 and had been validated as a member of MS-13 — a gang known for horrific and gruesome crimes, and whose motto is said to be “Mata, viola, controla” — which means “Kill, rape, control.” He had initially been encountered as an unaccompanied child in 2014 by Border Patrol and was transferred to the custody of his father. He was arrested and charged with assault in 2015 and was convicted of resisting arrest in 2016. GOP LAWMAKER RIPS BIDEN OFFICIAL OVER SPECIAL AGENTS REASSIGNED TO ‘MAKE SANDWICHES’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Later in 2016, he was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree assault, second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree, conspiracy to commit assault in the second degree, having a dangerous weapon with the intent to injure, having a handgun on his person, reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm by a minor. ICE then lodged an immigration detainer — a request that the agency be notified when he is due to be released so it could transfer him into ICE custody and deport him — with the detention center in Maryland’s Prince George’s County. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years in prison, and the remaining charges were dismissed. However, the court suspended all but 751 days of his sentence, so he was released in January 2019. ICE AGENTS RECAPTURE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE WHO WAS RELEASED ONTO STREETS IN VIRGINIA Crucially, the county ignored the detainer and released him from custody — which is in line with “sanctuary” policies that mostly refuse to honor ICE detainers. It has taken nearly five years for ICE to be able to arrest him, which they did outside his residence in Hyattsville. He is now in ICE custody pending his removal. ICE has consistently expressed its frustration with jurisdictions that use “sanctuary” policies not to alert ICE of the release of criminal illegal immigrants back onto the streets and did so in a release on Friday. “This unlawfully present noncitizen is not only a member of a violent street gang, but he has also proven to be a severe threat to the public by killing one of our residents,” ERO Baltimore acting Field Office Director Darius Reeves said in a statement. “Violent noncitizen criminals like this Honduran national need to be removed from this country,” he said. “It is a shame when local law enforcement agencies refuse to honor ICE detainers. ERO Baltimore will not relent in our pursuit of justice for the people of our Maryland communities.”
Arizona’s Democratic gov mobilizes National Guard to border, as Washington tries to reach border deal
Gov. Katie Hobbs is mobilizing the state’s National Guard to Arizona’s border with Mexico to help with the ongoing migrant crisis, as she accuses the federal government of “refusing” to do its job to secure the border. Hobbs signed an executive order to mobilize the Guard, which she said will assist law enforcement with fentanyl interdiction, analytical support and human trafficking enforcement efforts. Arizona’s Tucson Sector has been particularly hard hit by a new wave of migrants coming over the border. Earlier this month, the sector set a new record for weekly encounters when officials encountered over 17,500 migrants. STUNNING IMAGES SHOW ARIZONA BORDER OVERRUN BY MASSIVE SURGE OF ADULT MALE MIGRANTS FROM ACROSS GLOBE Federal officials closed the border crossing in Lukeville to reassign resources to deal with the surge, which comes in the third year of the ongoing migrant crisis. “Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Hobbs said in a statement. “With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t. But we can’t stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border.” “Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border,” she said. The Biden administration has taken heat over the crisis from Republicans and Democrats, including from state and local officials who say it has not provided enough resources. HOUSE DEM CALLS FOR ANSWERS FROM MAYORKAS OVER DENIAL OF BORDER FUNDING EXTENSION TO ARIZONA COUNTY The administration has said that it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and has appealed to Congress for more funding and comprehensive immigration reform to fix what it says is a “broken” system. It has recently requested an additional $14 billion in emergency supplemental funding from Congress, which includes $1.4 billion for “shelter and services” for migrants released from DHS custody. This is in addition to $800 million that has been handed out to states and non-governmental organizations by the administration in order to help deal with the many migrants who have been released into the U.S. interior. But that funding request has been held up in Congress as Republicans have demanded greater restrictions on asylum and humanitarian parole, a call that some Democrats have rebuffed. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS, EX-BORDER OFFICIALS DEMAND LAWMAKERS REJECT ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ BORDER COMPROMISE Talks have been ongoing among Senate Democrats and Republicans and the Biden administration to try and resolve the gridlock, and Biden has said he is open to “significant compromises.” The White House has reportedly expressed openness to restrictions, including a Title 42-style removal authority and expanded detention, but it is unclear whether that would be backed by Democrats or would be enough for Republicans — including those in the House — to get their support.
MP: Congress’ Jitu Patwari replaces Kamal Nath as state unit chief, Umang Singhar new LoP
Congress designated Brahmin Hemant Katare (38), as the party’s deputy, and tribal Umang Singhar (48), as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
Federal government lagging behind on key AI requirements, watchdog finds
A number of federal agencies are lagging behind on deadlines and efforts to better their management of artificial intelligence, as the technology’s footprint is expanding in the federal government. “Although certain federal agencies have taken initial steps to comply with guidance and statutory requirements, key efforts to strengthen management of AI have missed deadlines and are not yet completed,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued this week says. The report makes dozens of recommendations to 19 agencies to take additional steps to fully implement requirements on AI that are federally mandated. Those recommendations include the development of plans across agencies on the application of the technology, the use of inventories to include required information and the issuing of guidance on AI usage. BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS EYE AI SAFEGUARDS FOR US AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY The report found that 20 of the 23 agencies reported about 1,200 current or planned challenges or opportunities that could be solved or aided by the use of AI. Examples include analyzing cameras at the border and analyzing images taken by drones. There are over 200 instances in which AI is already being used. NASA, as well as the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services and State were those with the highest reported AI use cases in FY 2022. The report found that five agencies had provided comprehensive information for their use cases, but the other 15 had either incomplete or inaccurate data – including lacking required data elements, such as life cycle of the artificial intelligence, or whether the AI case was releasable. There were other instances of AI uses that were later determined not to be AI after all. “Without accurate inventories, the government’s management of its use of AI will be hindered by incomplete and inaccurate data,” the report said. The report comes as the federal government and Congress look to grapple with the implications, advantages and threats posed by the technology. WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS AI EXECUTIVE ORDER, REQUIRING COMPANIES TO SHARE NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS WITH FEDS There has been a flurry of legislation in Congress in the efforts to regulate AI, as well as a number of bipartisan briefings on the matter with key tech leaders and experts. A bill introduced by Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, this week would enforce standards for AI programs in the agricultural sector to protect food, fuel and other necessities. Meanwhile, the State Deptartment announced last month that 45 foreign governments have now partnered with the U.S. to launch the implementation of a declaration on “responsible military use” of AI. Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
Israeli captives mistakenly killed in Gaza held white flag, official says
Rules of engagement breached in incident that resulted in death of three hostages, all in their 20s. Three Israeli hostages killed mistakenly in Gaza by Israeli forces were shirtless and one of them was holding up a white flag, according to an initial inquiry into the incident, a military official has said. The incident took place in an area of intense combat where Hamas fighters operate in civilian attire and use deception tactics, the Israeli official said on Saturday. A soldier saw the hostages emerging tens of metres from Israeli forces in the area of Shujayea, the official added. “They’re all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they’re terrorists, they [forces] open fire, two are killed immediately,” said the military official. The third captive was wounded and retreated into a nearby building where he called for help in Hebrew. “Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there’s another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies,” said the official. “This was against our rules of engagement.” Mourning and anger The military on Friday identified the three as Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shamriz, 26, abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Talalka, 25, abducted from nearby Kibbutz Nir Am, by Hamas. About 300 people turned out to mourn Talalka at his funeral on Saturday in his hometown of Hura, in southern Israel, The Associated Press news agency reported. “We had so many hopes, expectations, that he would come back to us,” his cousin, Alaa Talalka told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan. “We’re not going to start pointing fingers, who is guilty and who is not. It is just not the time,” Talalka said. “The families are thinking only of how to bring the hostages back alive. This is the time to ask for the war to end.” They were among about 240 people taken captive during Hamas’s October 7 attacks in Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Promising to destroy Hamas and bring back the hostages, Israel launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinian group that has left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins. The territory’s Hamas-run government says the war has killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women and children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing of hostages as an “unbearable tragedy”. Hundreds of people are expected to gather on Saturday in Tel Aviv to call on Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of 129 hostages still held in Gaza. Several returned home during a pause in hostilities which saw the release of captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel jails. Adblock test (Why?)
The use of explosive weapons in cities must stop
On April 15, we awoke to news that war had broken out in Sudan. From our screens, my family, our Sudanese community, and I followed media outlets and WhatsApp groups, hungry for information on what was happening overseas. We watched from afar as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces spilled into Khartoum, causing chaos, and transforming the once vibrant and familiar capital into a trail of destruction. We saw videos circulated around social media of frightened passengers cowering on the floor of the Khartoum International Airport as it came under heavy bombardment. We saw doctors wheeling their patients out of Al Shaheeda Salma hospital on stretchers and beds after it was bombed. As we watched the dissolution happening on our screens, we ran to our phones to check up on family and loved ones back home. Eight months later we are still glued to our phones as Khartoum and other parts of Sudan continue to suffer under the bombardment. As of December, the fighting had killed more than 12,000 people and displaced 6.7 million, in what the United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has called “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history”. I have watched in agony as cities have transformed into warzones and my mental image of “home” has crumbled under the barrage of rockets, artillery, and bombs. Like many other Sudanese families, we have had to mourn the deaths of loved ones from an imposed distance, including most recently my grandfather, who had lost access to health care due to the war. From the onset of the conflict, explosive weapons have destroyed homes, including my own family’s home, entire neighbourhoods, and infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and water treatment plants. In early November, the monumental Shambat Bridge connecting Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri was bombed and destroyed. Truces that should have allowed civilians to evacuate cities under bombardment have collapsed or ended too quickly, effectively pinning civilians to their homes in precarious situations due to bombardment. Explosive weapons encompass a range of surface-fired and air-dropped weapons and other munitions, including aerial bombs, artillery and mortar projectiles, and rockets and missiles. These weapons frequently are too inaccurate, or their blast radius is too large for them to be used in populated areas without causing unlawfully indiscriminate harm. The situation in Sudan represents just one example of what happens when hostilities occur in cities. We also have Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine where we see the use of explosive weapons make cities unliveable. In Syria, recent shelling and air raids in Idlib and Aleppo have displaced more than 120,000 people, while in Ukraine, Russian forces’ air raids, rocket attacks and other munitions have hit vital ports and grain facilities and damaged schools and hospitals among other civilian infrastructure. The Israeli army’s widespread use of explosive weapons has turned Gaza, as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put it, into a “graveyard for children”. Large parts of once densely populated neighbourhoods have been completely levelled. Palestinian armed groups have also fired thousands of rockets towards Israeli population centres. Explosive weapons not only kill and injure civilians, but they also cause massive damage to power lines, water supplies and other essential infrastructure. This damage can result in so-called reverberating, or long-lasting, effects that can cause harm for decades to come. Additionally, unexploded remnants of war present a threat to civilians during and after hostilities and prevent the safe return of refugees and displaced people. While this landscape of despair and ruin may seem inevitable, a product of 21st-century warfare, there is potential for action on a global scale to reduce the use of explosive weapons. Last year, 83 countries adopted the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, which for the first time officially recognises the need to address this issue urgently and directly. The declaration commits governments and militaries to adopt policies and rules of engagement that better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It also commits them to develop new norms and standards against bombing and shelling in populated areas. Many countries whose civilians have suffered from explosive weapons in armed conflict endorsed the declaration, such as Cambodia, Central African Republic, and Palestine. It was also signed by producers and exporters of explosive weapons including France, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Sudan has recognised and acknowledged the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas, but it has yet to commit to action on the declaration in a national capacity. While the declaration is not legally binding, it is a major step in efforts to curb human suffering during armed conflict. Effective implementation and a humanitarian interpretation of the declaration is crucial and imperative to safeguarding civilians. More states need to sign the declaration and stand in solidarity with families like mine, the Sudanese people, and all those caught under the barrage of war. We should seize this moment and work to uphold the tenets of the declaration to diminish the devastating toll of explosive weapons on civilians. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
British teen ‘abducted’ by mother years ago to be repatriated from France
Alex Batty, who went missing aged 11 during a holiday in Spain, has been found in France after six years of nomadism. A British teenager who went missing six years ago and was found this week in France is set to be reunited with his family in the United Kingdom. Alex Batty, who was “abducted” by his mother at the age of 11, will be repatriated on Saturday, a prosecutor in Toulouse told the AFP news agency. He will take off for London from the southern French city “accompanied by several British police officers”, said magistrate Antoine Leroy. Batty will be returned to his maternal grandmother, with whom the British justice system entrusted his custody before he disappeared in 2017 during a holiday with his mother and grandfather in Malaga, Spain. Toulouse deputy prosecutor Antoine Leroy said on Friday the youth had spent the past two years in different areas of southern France, living in “spiritual communities” with his mother, never staying more than several months in the same place. The grandfather died about six months ago, said Leroy, adding that the boy’s mother might currently be in Finland. The teen was found in the middle of the night by a delivery driver after he had escaped and had been along a road for four days, Leroy said at a news conference on Friday evening. Greater Manchester Police GMP earlier said they were working with French authorities to bring Batty home to his grandmother. France’s BFM TV has reported a search operation was under way to find Batty’s mother. ‘Nomadic life’ Six years ago, Batty’s mother and grandfather took him on what was meant to be a two-week family holiday in Spain. Instead, it turned out to be a six-year odyssey through Morocco, Spain and southwest France, living an off-the-grid life. Now 17 years old, Batty told French investigators that he, his mother and her father had moved from house to house, carrying their own solar panels, growing their own food, living with other families, meditating and contemplating reincarnation and other esoteric subjects. “It was a nomadic life,” police officer Lea Chambonnière said at the news conference in Toulouse. “The only constants, the only things they carried with them, were the solar panels and their vegetable plants.” Batty reappeared on Wednesday, when a delivery driver found him walking alone on a remote French road and delivered him to the French police. “When his mother indicated that she intended to leave for Finland with him, this young man understood that this journey had to stop,” Leroy, the prosecutor, said. “He was never locked up,” he added. “But he was always obliged to live in these conditions.” I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well,” the teen’s grandmother, Susan Caruana, said in a statement released by British police. She said they spoke by video call and “it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again”. “I can’t wait to see him.” Adblock test (Why?)
‘They are trying to shield perpetrators of Parliament security breach’: BJP attacks Congress, INDIA bloc
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, the party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the opposition ‘INDIA’ bloc parties are standing by the perpetrators of the security breach as their links with them were emerging.