Judge in Hunter Biden gun case orders search warrants unsealed
The judge overseeing the federal weapons cases against the President’s son Hunter Biden has ordered that search warrants used in two investigations of the embattled first son must be made public. Delaware District Judge Maryellen Norieka granted a request Friday to unseal four search warrants used in special counsel David Weiss’ investigation of unlawful firearm possession and tax fraud cases against the younger Biden, the New York Post reported. The warrants are likely to shed light on the feds’ legal basis for seizing Biden’s electronic devices, as well as the evidence used to build the two criminal cases against him, the outlet said. The warrants were referenced in court papers earlier this month by Weiss’ office as it argued against Hunter’s bid to throw out the charges — prompting an independent journalist, Marcy Wheeler, to seek their unsealing. HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL GUN CHARGES OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS’ PROBE Neither Biden’s defense team nor Weiss’ office objected to the records being unsealed. It is not immediately clear when the documents will be accessible, the Post reported. Two warrants date from Aug. 29, 2019, and July 10, 2020, and were obtained by tax authorities and the FBI to look into Hunter Biden’s Apple iCloud account. A third search warrant was obtained Dec. 13, 2019, to examine the first son’s now-infamous laptop. The fourth warrant was obtained Dec. 4 last year and used to collect electronic evidence in connection with the gun case — nearly three months after the indictment against the first son was unsealed. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to three federal gun charges brought by Weiss. The president’s son has been charged with lying about his drug use in Oct. 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. HUNTER BIDEN INDICTED ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in court the defense will file a motion to dismiss the charges, challenging their constitutionality. An appeals court previously found that a federal ban on drug users having guns violates the Second Amendment under recent Supreme Court precedent. Earlier this summer, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and would have also avoided prosecution on the gun charges had he stayed out of trouble for two years. It was the culmination of a yearslong investigation by federal prosecutors into the business dealings of the president’s son, and the agreement would have dispensed with criminal proceedings and spared the Bidens weeks of headlines as the election loomed. But the deal fell apart after a judge raised several questions about the arrangement. In December, Hunter Biden’s lawyers filed a motion in federal court in Delaware to dismiss the indictment against him over gun charges, saying it “violates” the collapsed plea agreement, and maintain it is “still in effect” between the president’s son and federal prosecutors. IRS WHISTLEBLOWERS: HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT IS A ‘COMPLETE VINDICATION’ OF INVESTIGATION, ALLEGATIONS Earlier this month, federal prosecutors said a brown leather pouch used by Hunter Biden to store a gun had cocaine on it. Prosecutors had asked a judge to reject Hunter Biden’s efforts to dismiss gun charges because investigators found cocaine residue on the pouch used to hold his gun. Prosecutors told the judge that “the strength of the evidence against him is overwhelming,” rejecting Hunter Biden’s claims that he was being singled out for political reasons. Hunter Biden previously made incriminating statements about his drug use in a 2021 memoir, but now investigators are saying the cocaine was found on the gun pouch after it was pulled from a state police vault last year. A chemist with the FBI determined the residue was cocaine, prosecutors said. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo and Greg Whener contributed to this report.
Ford plans to hire Chinese military software supplier for EV factory in US: GOP investigators
Ford Motor Company is planning to contract technology and software from at least four Chinese firms that supply similar services to the Chinese government and military, and the North Korean government, according to contracts obtained by Republican investigators. The revelations — which were released Monday by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. — are part of the GOP’s ongoing joint investigation into Ford’s partnership with Fujian, China-based electric vehicle (EV) battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). According to the Republican leaders, they recently reviewed portions of Ford’s signed agreements with CATL. Those documents revealed the four Chinese firms in question “will be intimately involved” in the design, construction, and information technology processes for a proposed EV battery factory Ford is building in Marshall, Michigan, with services provided by CATL. “It is indefensible for Ford to use the same cloud integration and data provider that is linked to North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs sanctions evasion activity,” Gallagher and McMorris Rodgers wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last week. BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT “Before the Ford plant even comes online, its entire security system could be compromised by this software,” they continued. “The same company that is actively supporting the PRC’s surveillance state will have the capability to embed backdoors, spyware, and other forms of malware within Ford’s [cloud service] infrastructure, compromising the confidentiality and integrity of Ford’s sensitive information and posing risk to American’s data privacy rights.” The lawmakers penned the letter to Yellen after reviewing the signed agreements between Ford and CATL. They requested that the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control investigate possible sanctions evasion activity conducted by the four firms which remain unidentified. US MILITARY BASE’S GREEN ENERGY PROJECT WITH CCP TIES DISCONNECTED OVER NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS Gallagher and McMorris Rodgers sent a separate letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, asking her agency’s Bureau of Industry and Security to investigate the four unnamed software service providers. They specifically asked the agency to consider placing the companies on a list of entities subject to significant U.S. trade restrictions. “To summarize, a cursory review of publicly available information uncovered the above mentioned companies’ direct ties to the [People’s Liberation Army], the CCP, China’s Ministry of Public Security, the ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and the North Korean government,” they wrote to Raimondo. And, in a third letter, the Republicans asked Ford President and CEO James Farley to make a relevant company official available for an interview with their committees. “We’ve been helping the committees understand this Ford wholly owned and operated project,” a Ford spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Ford has always been and remains fully committed to following all government regulations across our business.” “Beyond legal requirements, Ford suppliers are required to meet our high standards and codes of conducts, including those to protect human rights, and are obligated to extend those requirements to suppliers with whom they might work,” the spokesperson said. “We welcome any information from any source concerning the integrity of our supply chains and partners.” CCP-TIED ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY AWARDED MORE THAN $500 MILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY FOR SECOND US PLANT In their letters, the Republicans stated the first of the four Chinese companies in question is contracted to develop the concept design on behalf of CATL at Ford’s Michigan plant. That same firm is a supplier of engineering design services for the Chinese military. A second company will be providing the proposed plant’s Integration Platform as a Service tools and applications, which play a key role in IT infrastructure. That company provides similar services to entities affiliated with sanctions evasion activity and the North Korean government, the Republican leaders wrote. A third Chinese company will be hired to provide Ford with its Unified Authentication Account software tools, which are designed to safeguard online user access, at the plant. That firm currently supplies software services to the Shenyang Institute of Automation, a subordinate institute controlled by the Chinese Academy of Sciences which is already listed by the Department of Commerce, the Republican investigators found. JOE MANCHIN GOES SCORCHED-EARTH ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER EV ACTIONS BOOSTING CHINA And the fourth company will oversee Ford’s so-called Business Process Management software tool. The company, though, has contracts with China’s Ministry of Public Security’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Public Security Department, which the Republicans noted is sanctioned by the Treasury Department over its “ongoing facilitation of the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.” In February 2023, Ford announced it would invest $3.5 billion to build a lithium iron phosphate battery plant — to supply its growing electric vehicle manufacturing — in Marshall, creating 2,500 new jobs. As part of the announcement, the U.S. automaker said it had reached an agreement with CATL to manufacture the battery cells at the plant using services provided by the Chinese company. The plan received widespread pushback from national security experts and lawmakers over CATL’s extensive ties to the CCP, though Ford has downplayed the criticism and repeatedly said it maintains sole ownership of the plant. Then, in November, Ford announced that it would dramatically downsize the plant by 40% and lowered the expected number of jobs it is projected to create by more than 30%. “We are concerned that Ford’s partnership with a Chinese company could aid China’s efforts to expand its control over United States electric vehicle supply chains and jeopardize national security by furthering dependence on China,” a group of House Republicans led by Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers wrote to Farley in September. “Should China gain control of domestic electric vehicle production, the United States would be exposed to serious national security risks at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions.”
Biden vs. Johnson border standoff: Experts split on who has the authority to solve crisis
As the White House negotiates a deal on border security legislation with the Democrat-held Senate, it’s having a standoff with the House of Representatives over who has the ability to solve the migrant crisis in the first place. Signaling he’s ready to reject the bipartisan compromise, which is still being worked on, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has told President Biden on several occasions that the president has the unilateral authority to enforce existing border and immigration policy. Biden officials, however, argue that the legislative route through Congress will afford a more comprehensive and permanent solution. Fox News Digital spoke with several experts who were similarly split over where the real power to fix the crisis lies. Those who believed it was on Congress cited its constitutional role in setting U.S. policy. BORDER DEAL PRICE TAG LIKELY TO COST MORE THAN $14 BILLION, BUT GOP LAWMAKERS GROW RESTLESS TO SEE BILL TEXT “U.S. immigration law is clearly a federal matter. Both Congress and the Executive Branch have roles to play,” said Erin B. Corcoran, executive director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. “However, any permanent changes to federal laws or funding for immigration enforcement is the responsibility of Congress. Our immigration system is in need of significant congressional reform, and such reform must come from Congress.” Corcoran pointed out that Congress has control over issues of legal permanent status and citizenship, and the president acts on authorities granted by Congress. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, similarly argued the president could not unilaterally cut off immigration at the border. TEXAS-BOUND ‘TAKE OUR BORDER BACK’ CONVOY TO ‘SHED LIGHT’ ON MIGRANT CRISIS, ‘SEND A MESSAGE’ TO LEADERS “The reality is that without Congress providing new authorities and a massive increase in funding, no president can either detain all migrants crossing or return them across the border,” he said. “Even if Congress did provide those authorities, diplomatic realities can prevent their use. For example, if Mexico declined to accept individuals expelled from the United States, then an expulsion authority would have little impact.” Josh Blackman, professor of law at the South Texas College of Law Houston, argued it was a mixture of efforts by both branches. “The president could enforce the existing laws more aggressively to deal with the situation at the border. Permanent legislation would likely be an improvement,” he said. On the other side of the conversation, those who believe Biden has the power to act cited his past executive actions and policy decisions on immigration and other matters. “There is no question that President Biden can do more on the border and that his policies, and past statements, have fueled this crisis,” Fox News contributor and Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley said. “On issues like student loan forgiveness, the administration has shown endless creativity and energy in seeking its ends… Immediately upon taking office, President Biden stopped measures and policies that were designed to stem the flow of unlawful immigrants.” TRUMP BLASTS BIDEN-BACKED BORDER BILL AT LAS VEGAS RALLY: ‘RATHER HAVE NO BILL THAN A BAD BILL’ Though Turley added, “A border bill would certainly enhance such efforts with added immigration judges, border agents, and barriers.” Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky said, “The president has all of the power and authority he needs already under current immigration law to secure the border. It is his deliberate and intentional policies of refusing to enforce those laws that are causing the current crisis.” “That includes unlawfully giving mass parole to illegal aliens entering the country instead of immediately expelling them; reinstating the ‘catch and release’ policy that was ended by the Trump administration; and terminating the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy that was helping to prevent fraudulent asylum claims,” he said. The White House and speaker’s office traded barbs over the issue as recently as Monday. Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a memo saying, “If Speaker Johnson continues to believe — as President Biden and Republicans and Democrats in Congress do — that we have an imperative to act immediately on the border, he should give this administration the authority and funding we’re requesting to secure the border.” Johnson’s spokesman told Fox News Digital in response, “With the stroke of a pen, he could begin by restoring Remain in Mexico, ending catch and release, reforming asylum, and parole standards. His refusal places our national sovereignty at stake.”
Texas Gov. Abbott sends stark message to sanctuary cities as migrant crisis continues
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a stark message to sanctuary cities on Monday, vowing his state’s transportation of migrants to their areas would continue until the federal government takes action on the worsening border crisis. “Texas has transported over 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities. Overwhelmed Texas border towns should not bear the brunt of Biden’s open border policies. Our transportation mission will continue until Biden secures the border,” Abbott wrote in a post on X. Abbott’s promise comes amid his feud with the Biden administration over enforcement of the border, and whether Texas has the authority to defend itself from the waves of migrants overwhelming law enforcement and immigration officials. WHITE HOUSE DEMANDS SPEAKER JOHNSON GIVE BIDEN ‘AUTHORITY AND FUNDING’ TO ‘SECURE THE BORDER’ The two sides have been feuding since 2021 when the migrant crisis escalated and Texas launched Operation Lone Star to surge resources to the border. The administration recently sued over an anti-illegal immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. It has also sued over the state’s setting up of buoys in the Rio Grande. The administration says immigration enforcement is up to the federal government and Texas is interfering. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on an emergency appeal to temporarily overturn a lower court’s injunction that banned the federal government from cutting razor fencing Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues. TEXAS GOVERNOR DOING ‘EXACTLY RIGHT THING’ AMID CONSTITUTIONAL BATTLE OVER BORDER ENFORCEMENT: LEGAL EXPERTS Following the ruling, Abbott declared his constitutional authority to reserve the right of his state to self-defense against an invasion, adding that the executive branch had broken its constitutional pact with the states by failing to enforce federal immigration laws. Former President Donald Trump on Thursday gave his backing to Abbott amid the latter’s feud with the Biden administration — urging states to send their National Guards to the border and promising to work “hand in hand” with the state to combat the “invasion” if he is inaugurated again in January 2025. DID BIDEN INTENTIONALLY CAUSE THE BORDER CRISIS? Abbott has also picked up the support of more than two dozen Republican states who have publicly expressed their support for the state. Meanwhile, some Democrats have urged the Biden administration to seize control of the National Guard. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
White House defends UNRWA amid terrorist allegations: ‘Don’t impugn the whole agency’
White House national security spokesman John Kirby called for a thorough investigation into Israel’s terrorism allegations against UNRWA employees on Monday, but also said the allegations shouldn’t taint the whole organization. Kirby made the statement during a Monday press conference at the White House. Reporters pressed Kirby about Israel’s claims that at least 13 UNRWA employees in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. “Do you have any reason to believe that that might have been more widespread – that there could be that later indicates that it was beyond those 13 people?” a reporter asked. “I haven’t seen any information that affirmatively makes that case, that it’s more than that 13,” Kirby responded. “That’s why an investigation is so dang important here so that you can look at the scope of the problem set.” AUSTRIA SUSPENDS PAYMENTS TO UNRWA AMID ISRAELI ALLEGATIONS UN WORKERS HELPED, CELEBRATED HAMAS “But you’ve got 13,000 UNRWA employees. You have 13,000 of them in Gaza alone, and as I said last week, let’s not impugn the good work of a whole agency because of the potential bad actions here by a small number,” he continued. TRUMP ADMIN CUT FUNDING TO UN AGENCY NOW ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN HAMAS ATTACK ‘FOR REASON’: REP. MCCAUL “I am not dismissing the seriousness of the allegations against those employees,” Kirby clarified. “And whether there’s gonna be more that will be found, hopefully the investigation will give us more insight.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on countries to continue funding UNRWA despite the news. The U.S. and a growing list of other countries have temporarily halted funding for the agency. Israel released evidence showing that at least a dozen of the organization’s employees in Gaza had participated in the massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. BIDEN ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY AMID ALLEGATIONS MEMBERS ASSISTED IN HAMAS MASSACRE “While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations,” Guterres said in a statement on Sunday. The Biden administration has not announced a timeline for resuming funding to UNRWA.
At war or not? US conflict with Iran-backed militias blurs line
The U.S. could be at war right now. We don’t know for sure, because Congress hasn’t “declared war.” Organizations linked to Iran killed three U.S. service members in Jordan over the weekend. The U.S. fired strikes in Iraq on “facilities used by” the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia groups and other Iran-affiliated groups last week. The U.S. now regularly launches attacks on the Houthis. IRAN SAYS CLAIMS IT IS LINKED TO JORDAN DRONE ATTACK, DEATHS OF US SOLDIERS ARE ‘BASELESS’ The Houthis are rebels based in Yemen fighting against the influence of the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula. There is a proxy fight in Yemen between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis back the Palestinians and are opposed to Israel in the war now raging in Gaza. Since the U.S. and western nations support Israel, the Houthis have attempted to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea by attacking commercial vessels. The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding the Houthis cease their onslaught against ships sailing through the Red Sea, but that hasn’t halted the attacks. That’s why the U.S. is retaliating. This is why the U.S. lost two SEALs in the Gulf of Aden last week. The SEALs died during a mission using special speedboats. The SEALs attempted to climb aboard a rudimentary cargo ship in the Arabian Sea. One fell off a ladder in rough seas. Another jumped in to find the other. Both SEALs perished. So here you have the U.S. firing missiles and actually losing American service members in overseas military operations, neither of which has happened in the nearly two years that Ukraine has been at war with Russia. You have Iranian loyalists killing American service personnel in Jordan. So where does that leave the U.S. militarily, politically and constitutionally when it comes to war – or whatever the U.S. is engaged in right now? BIDEN VOWS RESPONSE AFTER 3 US TROOPS KILLED FROM DRONE ATTACK IN JORDAN “I don’t know what else you’d call it,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. “They’re shooting us. We’re shooting at them. I guess you could call it war.” But if that’s the case, who approved this war? Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution says Congress has the power “to declare war.” Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution grants the president power as “Commander in Chief.” This schism blurs who’s really in charge here and whether the U.S. is actually involved in hostilities. Or for that matter, whether it is “at war.” This weekend’s attack, the loss of the SEALs and the prolonged shooting match with the Houthis makes for a case study. This is why a bipartisan coalition of senators wrote to President Biden, asking for specifics about the “self-defense” context of the strikes against the Houthis and “on what date were U.S. forces ‘introduced into hostilities’ in Yemen and the Red Sea?” It’s certainly within the power of the commander in chief to order retaliation if the U.S. is attacked or even dial up an incursion to prevent future incidents. But lawmakers demand explanations for the legal justifications the administration is using to execute military operations overseas – without a direct congressional blessing under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. President Biden promises action. Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., both suggested the U.S. quit nibbling around the edges of Iran and hit Iran on its home turf. Surely a strike inside a sovereign nation would constitute “war.” Yet no one has suggested that Congress “declare war” or draw up an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Yet. But that push could come if this becomes a protracted engagement with the Houthis and those who are in cahoots with Iran. DRONE FROM IRAN PROXY EVADED US DEFENSES BECAUSE IT WAS MISTAKEN FOR US DRONE: OFFICIAL Before this past weekend’s deaths, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asserted that President Biden “has clear authority to use military force when American lives and interests are under attack.” But the Kentucky Republican criticized the president for not deploying those powers with greater force to attack America’s enemies. “The commander in chief does not like authority,” said McConnell. He accused Biden of directing strikes against “low value” targets and failing “to impose meaningful costs on Iran itself.” McConnell argued that President Thomas Jefferson “was hardly an enthusiastic proponent of a muscular executive.” But attacks on U.S. vessels by Barbary pirates in the late 18th century encouraged the incipient United States to develop a Navy to protect its interests aboard. “Core national interest posed by the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean forged a consensus around the appropriate roles of the Article I and Article II branches in the conduct of war,” said McConnell. “Freedom of navigation has been a core national interest of the United States from the very, very beginning.” That’s why McConnell believes the president has the authority to retaliate directly, without engaging Congress for a declaration of war. Moreover, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 grants presidents the power to initiate military intervention – especially on the fly or responding to a crisis – without seeking a congressional blessing. However, the president must regularly update Congress on activities overseas. Ironically, the War Powers Resolution was designed to give Congress a tool to harness an overzealous commander in chief when it comes to the use of the military abroad. Remember, this was in the twilight of the war in Vietnam. Ironically, presidents of both parties have long relied on the War Powers Resolution as a crutch to justify military action – without congressional hindrances. This is why a bipartisan coalition of House members wrote to President Biden, calling the strikes “unauthorized.” “Congress must engage in robust debate before American service members are put in harm’s way and before more U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent on yet another war in the Middle East,” wrote the lawmakers. “No president, regardless of political party, has the constitutional authority to bypass Congress on
US, Britain announce sanctions on network that targeted critics of Iran
The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on a network of people who targeted Iranian opposition activists for assassination under Iran’s orders, the US Treasury Department has said. The US Treasury said the network was directed by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and put sanctions on 11 people connected to it, including Iranian narcotics trafficker Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti. “The Iranian regime’s continued efforts to target dissidents and activists demonstrate the regime’s deep insecurity and attempt to expand Iran’s domestic repression internationally,” said Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. There was no immediate comment from Iran. The Treasury said that the network, led by Sharifi-Zindashti, had carried out assassinations and kidnappings across several jurisdictions to silence perceived critics of Tehran. The Treasury action freezes any US assets of those targeted and generally bans Americans from dealing with them. The Treasury said that in 2021 the network had recruited a Canadian national and British Columbia-based Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Group member, Damion Patrick John Ryan, to assassinate individuals in the US who fled Iran. Ryan also allegedly recruited Canadian national and Hells Angels affiliate Adam Richard Pearson to carry out the murders, the Treasury said. Both are currently imprisoned abroad on unrelated charges. The sanctions come amid soaring tensions in the Middle East. The US and UK accused Iran-backed groups earlier on Monday of a drone attack in Jordan near the border with Syria that killed three US military personnel. Britain imposed sanctions on Iranian officials it said were involved in threats to kill journalists on British soil and others it said were part of international criminal gangs linked to Tehran. The UK Foreign Office said it would “sanction seven individuals and one organisation, including senior Iranian officials and members of organised criminal gangs who collaborate with the regime.” “The Iranian regime and the criminal gangs who operate on its behalf pose an unacceptable threat to the UK’s security,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement. “The UK and US have sent a clear message – we will not tolerate this threat,” he added. Adblock test (Why?)
Chaos during Maldives parliament session
NewsFeed MPs went after each other, throwing punches, pulling hair and blowing toy trumpets during a session of parliament in the Maldives. The fight came after the opposition party refused to approve 4 new cabinet ministers – who are members of the newly-elected president’s party. Published On 29 Jan 202429 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli intelligence accuses UNRWA staff of kidnap, seizing body
Israeli intelligence dossier alleges that a dozen UN agency employees were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. An Israeli intelligence document that prompted several countries to halt funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) includes allegations that some staff took part in abductions and killings during the Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7. The Israeli dossier alleges that some 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, have doubled as Hamas or Islamic Jihad fighters, the Reuters news agency reported. Palestinian officials have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA. The UN has fired nine of the accused workers, condemned “the abhorrent alleged acts” and launched an investigation into the allegations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met the head of internal investigations at the world body to ensure an inquiry into the allegations “will be done swiftly and as efficiently as possible,” a UN spokesperson said on Monday. Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people and taking 240 others captive, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded to the attack with a devastating bombardment, siege and ground invasion of Gaza. More than 26,600 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities, and vast areas of the territory have been reduced to rubble. The Israeli document listed 12 people, their alleged roles in the October 7 attack, job descriptions and photos. The findings detailed in the document could not be independently confirmed. The dossier said of the 12 workers, nine were teachers and one a social worker. Seven of the employees were accused of crossing into Israel on October 7. Of those, one was accused of taking part in a kidnapping, another of helping to abduct the body of a dead soldier and three others of participating in the attacks. One was accused of arming himself with an anti-tank missile the night before the attack, while the document claimed another took photos of a female hostage. Ten were listed as having ties to Hamas and one to the Islamic Jihad militant group. Two of the 12 have been killed, according to the document. The UN previously said one person was still being identified. Funds suspension The allegations against UNRWA staffers led several donor countries to freeze funds for the agency. UNRWA provides crucial day-to-day assistance for 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who are living through a dire humanitarian catastrophe amid the Israeli assault. The agency said on Monday that it would not be able to continue operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February if funding were not resumed. More than 10 countries, including major donors the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, have halted their funding to the agency. Some donor countries have said they would continue to fund UNRWA, while others have urged donors to resume their cooperation. Saudi Arabia urged the agency’s supporters to “carry out their role in supporting the humanitarian tasks toward Palestinian refugees”. Lebanon called the suspension of funding a “historic mistake”, and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said UNRWA should not be punished over claims against individual staff members. Since the war began, most Palestinians in Gaza have come to depend on the agency’s programmes for “sheer survival”, including food and shelter, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has said. Long-standing tensions The allegations have stoked long-standing tensions between Israel and UNRWA. Israel says Hamas uses the agency’s facilities to store weapons and launch attacks. UNRWA says it does not knowingly tolerate such behaviour and has internal safeguards to prevent abuses and discipline any wrongdoing. Even before the latest allegations, Lazzarini had announced that he was ordering an external review of the agency’s operations and its safeguards. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had cancelled a Wednesday meeting between Israeli officials and Lazzarini, and called on the UNRWA head to resign. Adblock test (Why?)
Gina Swoboda, activist endorsed by Trump, becomes new Arizona Republican party chair
Gina Swoboda, an election activist endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has been chosen as the next chair of the Arizona Republican Party, a leadership post that puts her center stage in the battleground state for November’s presidential election. Fox10 television in Phoenix reported that Swoboda garnered 67% of the votes at Saturday’s state party meeting. The GOP declined to confirm that margin of victory to The Associated Press. VENTURE CAPITALIST, CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND RAISES EYE-POPPING AMOUNT IN BID FOR ARIZONA HOUSE SEAT Swoboda replaces Jeff DeWit, who was halfway through his two-year term. He resigned Wednesday after a leaked audio recording revealed him offering a job to U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and asking her to name a price that would keep her out of the 2024 election cycle. At the time of the recording last March, Lake was waging an unsuccessful court fight challenging her loss in the 2022 race for Arizona governor even as she geared up for the U.S. Senate campaign. Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington, bruised by a disappointing showing in the midterms, were talking openly about plans to seek GOP Senate nominees who would be more viable in general elections. DeWit was chief operating officer for Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns and chief financial officer at NASA during the Trump presidency. He was seen as a trusted and experienced operative who could bridge the bitter divide between Trump loyalists and old guard Republicans in Arizona, many of whom were brought into the party by the late Sen. John McCain. Swoboda is a former employee of the Arizona Secretary of State’s office and was the election day director of operations for Trump in 2020. She has been working for the Arizona Senate as a senior adviser on elections. Lake, who is running for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat, congratulated Swoboda and called her win a “massive victory” for her campaign and Trump’s. “Gina is a national leader in election law. She is a grassroots hero … is battle tested and a woman of great integrity,” Lake said in a statement. “Gina understands that the White House and Senate Majority —and frankly, the survival of our Republic — runs through State 48.”