Nikki Haley fires back at Trump’s social media attacks with link to donate to her campaign
Former President Trump said anyone who contributes to his opponent’s campaign will be barred from the “Make America Great Again” MAGA community – but former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley quickly used the comment to her campaign’s advantage. In a TruthSocial post Wednesday, Trump hit Haley with insults ranging from “Birdbrain” to saying “she was average at best” when serving in his administration. “Nikki “Birdbrain” Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country. Her False Statements, Derogatory Comments, and Humiliating Public Loss, is demeaning to True American Patriots,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post. The former president then went on to write that anyone who contributes to Haley’s campaign “will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” NIKKI HALEY SHOWED ‘STUNNINGLY BAD JUDGMENT’ IN SPEECH AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE LOSS, SAYS STEVE HILTON “When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s “Donors” would immediately come to me, and want to “help out.” This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,” Trump wrote. “Anybody that makes a “Contribution” to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” HALEY LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY AGAINST TRUMP, BUT FACES ‘CHALLENGING ROAD’ AHEAD IN GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE Rather than stay silent, Haley reposted Trump’s message on X with a link to donate to her campaign. “Well in that case…donate here. Let’s Go!” Haley wrote. Several X, formerly known as Twitter, users responded to Haley’s post with screenshots showing their donations to her campaign. Other X users mocked her for still staying in the GOP primary race. Trump took aim at Haley Thursday morning on Truth Social, saying he “heard BIRDBRAIN [Haley] totally ‘bombed’ last night in South Carolina,” referring to her rally in North Charleston Wednesday evening. “Why the surprise, she just bombed in Iowa and New Hampshire in a very big way, and lost both States,” Trump continued. “She also just lost Nevada because she saw the Polls and decided to take a pass on this Caucus State. 100% Trump!”
McConnell asserts Biden’s ‘clear authority’ for Iran airstrikes, says president should do more to deter terror
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor Thursday morning that President Biden has “clear authority” to continue carrying out airstrikes in the Middle East and urged the president to do more to deter attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. “The Constitution of the United States, the consensus of our nation’s founders and the weight of exhaustive historical precedent gives the president the clear authority to use military force when American lives and interests are under attack,” McConnell said. “The commander in chief does not lack authority. Rather, he is failing to sufficiently exercise the authority that he has right now.” Despite military responses and warnings in Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are still being targeted. According to the Washington Institute, a think tank focused on foreign policy in the Middle East, Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. forces 18 times in Syria and 10 times in Iraq since Jan. 4. The orchestrated attacks appear to be part of Iran’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza after its ally, Hamas, attacked Israel on Oct. 7. US DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY MORE LARGE-SCALE STRIKES CONDUCTED AGAINST HOUTHI FORCES “When President Biden took office, Senate Republicans warned him not to go soft on Iran,” McConnell said. “We urged him not to abandon maximum pressure, not to obsess over restoring a failed nuclear deal, and not to ignore Iran’s relentless, relentless campaign of terror. But the president failed to hear this advice.” “Instead, his administration slipped through glaring indications that Iran backed terror was actually reaching a tipping point. So today, America and our allies face an adversary profoundly undeterred,” he said. McConnell tallied that Iran’s proxies are responsible for more than 150 attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 7. “We have yet to see signs that the administration understands how to compel Iran and its proxies to stop even with the world’s strongest military at the ready,” he said. “The commander in chief has failed to deter Iran and its proxies. Instead, a figure of escalation has only invited more aggression from Tehran to Moscow to Beijing.” Earlier this month, Biden received backlash from some House Democrats for striking Houthi positions – a Yemen-based Islamist militant group – without congressional approval. Biden said the airstrikes were in response to Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea. “Mr. President, they are profoundly mistaken,” McConnell said of dissenting voices who have criticized the airstrikes. “Exercising the right to defend against imminent threats to our nation and service members is a central responsibility of the commander in chief.” US NAVY CONFIRMS IRAN’S INVOLVEMENT IN YEMEN HOUTHI REBEL SHIP ATTACKS The U.S. carried out a “self-defense” strike in Yemen on Wednesday morning, targeting and destroying two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were preparing to launch, aimed at commercial ships in the southern Red Sea, U.S. officials said. U.S. forces targeted three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-linked groups, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. The Kataib Hezbollah headquarters was targeted, along with storage and training locations for rocket, missile and one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, U.S. Central Command said. The strikes were in response to the Iran proxy group Kataib Hezbollah’s massive ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base on Saturday, and an attack on al-Asad on Tuesday, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. The group fired 17 ballistic missiles and rockets at the base, where the majority of the 2,500 troops in Iraq are stationed. US STRIKES HOUTHI MISSILE CACHE IN YEMEN, OFFICIALS CONFIRM On Saturday, the U.S. Army’s Patriot missile defense system fired 15 missiles to intercept the ballistic missiles and rockets, but two got through, damaging the base and resulting in four U.S. service members being diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. All have returned to duty. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been launching attacks against southern Israel and ships in the Red Sea since soon after Israel’s war with Hamas began in October. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Biden administration warned Iran before ISIS attack Jan. 3, US official says
President Biden’s administration warned Iran of an impending terrorist attack prior to a blast that killed 94 people in early January, a U.S. official tells Fox News Digital. The bombing attack took place at a memorial ceremony for Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020 under former President Trump’s administration. The U.S. official did not detail Iran’s response to the warning. “Prior to ISIS’ terrorist attack on January 3, 2024, in Kerman, Iran, the U.S. Government provided Iran with a private warning that there was a terrorist threat within Iranian borders,” the official told Fox. “The U.S. Government followed a longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy that has been implemented across administrations to warn governments against potential lethal threats. We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks,” the official added. U.S. MILITARY BASES IN IRAQ, SYRIA ATTACKED AGAIN, BRINGING TOTAL TO AT LEAST 90 SINCE OCT. 17 At least 94 people were killed in the attack and 284 others were injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the strike shortly afterward. “The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks,” Iranian media quoted a local official as saying just after the attack. “Several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery.” The U.S. warning and subsequent attack came amid severe tensions between Iran, the U.S. and Israel. Iran’s proxy terrorist groups have attacked U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria more than 150 times since October, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have harassed trade in the Red Sea. Hezbollah, another Iran-supported group, has threatened Israel’s northern border with drone attacks. The U.S. and Israel have carried out numerous attacks against Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon in the weeks following the blasts in Iran. U.S. forces targeted three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-linked groups on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. PENTAGON SLAMMED FOR CALLING LLOYD AUSTIN’S SURGERY TO REMOVE CANCER ‘ELECTIVE’: ‘ARGUING SEMANTICS’ The Kataib Hezbollah headquarters was targeted, along with storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, U.S. Central Command said. “These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against U.S. and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” said Austin. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Liz Friden contributed to this report
What’s nitrogen hypoxia? Alabama prepares for Kenneth Smith’s US execution
Alabama, a US state with 165 people on death row, is on Thursday night expected to attempt the first-ever execution by an untested method known as nitrogen hypoxia. Only two years after a botched execution attempt on him, Kenneth Eugene Smith will once again be made to face death, this time through an experimental technique that pumps pure nitrogen gas into a person’s lungs instead of the regular air that has the oxygen humans need to breathe. Smith’s execution in the United States is moving forward despite criticism from rights groups, some doctors and the jury for the case itself voting against the death penalty. What’s the case about, how does the nitrogen hypoxia method work, and what are lawyers and rights groups saying about it? Who is Kenneth Eugene Smith and what did he do? Smith, 58, is one of two men convicted for the murder of Elizabeth Sennett, 45, on March 18, 1988. Smith and John Forrest Parker were each paid $1,000 to kill Sennett on behalf of her pastor husband, Charles Sennett Sr, who was in debt and wanted to collect insurance money from her death. Parker was executed by lethal injection in 2010 while Sennett Sr committed suicide after he became a prime suspect in the case, according to court records. Smith claims that while he was present at the site of the killing, he did not take part in the attack. He has been on death row since 1996. The 58-year-old is the first-ever person to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia [File: Alabama Department of Corrections via AP Photo] Why is this the second time Smith is facing a death sentence? Smith suffered a failed execution attempt via lethal injection in 2022. The attempt was called off at the last minute because authorities struggled to insert an intravenous line that would have transmitted deadly drugs through his veins. Smith’s lawyers have argued that a second execution attempt would exacerbate the psychological trauma he has been experiencing since the first attempt. When is Kenneth Eugene Smith’s execution? His execution is set to take place within a 30-hour time frame beginning at 12am local time (06:00 GMT) on Thursday and expiring at 6am (12:00 GMT) the following day. Human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, who has argued against the death penalty in several countries including the US, points out that executions are commonly held only in the middle of the night. “And that’s because we’re basically ashamed of what we do,” he told Al Jazeera. Stafford Smith has had to watch the executions of six of his clients in the US. “And each time I’ve come out of the execution chamber, I look up at the stars and say to myself, honestly, can we say that this makes the world the most civilised place?” What is nitrogen hypoxia and how does it work? Nitrogen hypoxia is a method of execution where a respirator mask is placed over the inmate’s face, and their breathing air is replaced with pure nitrogen gas. This deprives the individual of oxygen, leading to unconsciousness in a few seconds, and ultimately causing death in several minutes. Smith’s lawyers have raised concerns over the untested nature of the method that could go awry. For instance, the mask may not be airtight enough and cause Smith to choke on his own vomit. Alabama Solicitor General Edmund LaCour said that such claims are speculative, and suggested that he could opt “to have his last meal earlier in the day, or the day before the planned execution”, to minimise such a risk. LaCour also told federal judges that nitrogen hypoxia is “the most painless and humane method of execution known to man.” According to Stafford Smith, the lawyer, nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method originated from a television programme 15 years ago, featuring former British Member of Parliament Michael Portillo seeking alternatives to US execution methods. Portillo discovered that the Royal Netherlands Air Force was experimenting with low nitrogen in the air for its pilots. He claimed it was a more humane way to execute people than lethal injection — he described a sort of euphoria before he drifted into unconsciousness when he tried breathing in nitrogen himself. An industrial mask will be used to pump nitrogen gas into Smith’s breathing air [File: Eraldo Peres/AP Photo] How does lethal injection work? Protocol suggests that inmates must go through a “three-drug procedure” where they are first given an anaesthetic to make them unconscious. Most states use “barbiturate” for this step, which has become difficult to obtain in the US. Next, a substance is given to paralyse muscles, and then a final drug is given in a dose that stops the heart. Several US states, including Alabama since 2013, have switched over to a “one-drug procedure” where only barbiturate or its alternative is given in a lethal dose. In either case, the entire process up until death can last up to five minutes. However, botched lethal injections have sometimes taken more than two hours before death. The procedure also requires the inmate to be strapped to a gurney. Smith suffered a botched execution attempt in 2022, after 26 years on death row [File: Dave Martin/Photo] Does Smith get to choose how he is executed? After Smith suffered the botched execution attempt by lethal injection in 2022, he appealed against a repeat. Enter the US judicial system. Two US Supreme Court judgements have determined that if convicts on death row claim that a particular method of execution is unacceptable to them because it is too cruel, they are required to choose another method that is available in that state. Alabama, along with Oklahoma and Mississippi, has also approved the use of nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative to the lethal injection. That meant that when Smith said he did not want a second stab with a lethal injection, he was in effect also forced to accept nitrogen hypoxia as the method of his execution. California, Texas, Florida and Alabama are
US, UK sanction senior Houthis as rebels say Red Sea attacks will continue
The Yemeni group says it will continue targeting Israel-linked commercial vessels until aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. The United States and United Kingdom have issued new sanctions on leaders of Yemen’s Houthis, as the group pledges to continue its attacks on Israel-linked commercial vessels until aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. The sanctions, announced on Thursday, target four key Houthi officials over their roles supporting or directing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the US and UK said. “The Houthis’ persistent terrorist attacks on merchant vessels and their civilian crews … threaten to disrupt international supply chains and the freedom of navigation, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity,” Brian Nelson, the US Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “Today’s joint action with the United Kingdom demonstrates our collective action to leverage all authorities to stop these attacks.” Those sanctioned were Houthi Defence Minister Mohamed Nasser al-Atifi; commander of Houthi naval forces Muhammad Fadl Abd al-Nabi; coastal defence forces chief Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri; and Muhammed Ahmad al-Talibi, who the two governments described as the Houthi forces’ director of procurement. The UK said the four men were involved in acts which “threaten the peace, security and stability of Yemen”. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement that the restrictions “reinforce our clear message to the Houthis in recent weeks”, promising to target those behind the “unacceptable and illegal actions” against shipping. War on Gaza The sanctions have come as Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi promised to continue the attacks that have disrupted international commerce in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. “Our country will continue its operations until food and medicine reach the people of Gaza,” al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday. Since November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on commercial vessels they have said were linked to Israel. They said the operations were meant to pressure Israel into stopping its war on Gaza. The group’s leader added that US and British military action in Yemen conducted in response to the Houthi attacks would not affect their “will and determination”. On Monday, a new round of attacks targeted a Houthi underground storage site as well as missile and surveillance capabilities used by the Iran-aligned group against Red Sea shipping. The Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce along a route that accounts for about 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic. Several shipping companies have redirected their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, delaying delivery times and adding a further 3,000-3,500 nautical miles (6,000km) to their route. The US also re-designated the Houthis as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (SDGTs) earlier this month, a designation attributed to those who are considered to “threaten the security of the US”. In response to the designation and the US and British attacks against targets in Yemen, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other cities to protest and to show support for Palestinians in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Top French court rejects large parts of controversial immigration bill
The court rejected measures that toughen access to social benefits, family reunification, and immigration quotas. More than a third of articles in a controversial immigration bill must be scrapped, France’s Constitutional Council has said. The council, a body that validates the constitutionality of laws, rejected measures in the bill on Thursday that call for the toughening of access to social benefits, family reunification, and the introduction of immigration quotas set by parliament. It upheld much of the bill initially presented by President Emmanuel Macron’s government but criticised the contentious additions made under pressure from the political right and far right. The bill includes migration quotas, obstacles to family reunification and delays to migrants’ access to welfare benefits, as well as articles cancelling automatic birthright citizenship and making it easier to deport non-French nationals. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin welcomed the ruling, saying it had validated the government’s initial proposals. “Never has a text provided so many means for expelling delinquents,” he wrote on X. “The Government takes note, as I was able to indicate during the debates, of the censorship of numerous articles added to Parliament for non-compliance with parliamentary procedure,” Darmanin wrote in French. People attend a demonstration against the immigration law, called the ‘Darmanin law’, with one protester holding a placard that reads ‘Withdrawal of the Darmanin law’ in Paris, France [Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters] Jordan Bardella, the president of the far-right National Rally party, slammed the ruling, which he described as a “coup by the judges, with the backing of the president”. He called for a referendum on immigration as the “only solution”. The council dismissed 32 out of 86 amendments because they were unrelated to the law’s subject. But they could be accepted later as part of a different bill. The council also criticised three more amendments partially – or in total – over their essence, and partially rejected the setting of immigration quotas by parliament. Earlier this week, the United Nations special rapporteur on racism said the bill violates France’s constitutional commitment to equality and liberty. “When we look at the French Constitution or the way in which the head of state or many in positions of power speak, it’s equality, but that is in strong contradiction to these policies,” Ashwini KP, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, told the Reuters news agency. Ashwini KP also raised concerns over the proposed restrictions to social welfare for migrants and said they would greatly “impact marginalised communities”. Macron has made the bill a key plank of his second term in office and defended its passing through parliament. But the president has faced criticism over the bill, which drew support from the far-right National Rally party. Macron referred the legislation to France’s Constitutional Council to check if it complies with the Constitution. Adblock test (Why?)
Gyanvapi built on remains of pre-existing temple: Hindu side lawyer on ASI survey report
He also claimed that the survey report has sufficient evidence of existence of a temple over which the mosque was built.
White House dodges on Democratic calls for Biden to federalize Texas National Guard
White House officials declined to say whether President Biden has considered federalizing the Texas National Guard amid his clash with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. White House National Security Adviser John Kirby sidestepped questions on the topic during a brief gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. Abbott has used the Texas National Guard to block agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection from accessing certain areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. “Is the administration considering federalizing the Texas National Guard?” a reporter asked Thursday. “We talked about this the other day,” Kirby began. “I don’t have any decisions to speak to for the president. I don’t have anything on that.” SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH BIDEN IN TEXAS BORDER WIRE CASE; BORDER PATROL UNION BLASTS THE DECISION Abbott on Wednesday declared that the Biden administration had broken its federal compact with the state of Texas by allowing an “invasion” of illegal immigrants to cross the border. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, called on Biden to federalize the National Guard on Tuesday after it became clear Abbott wasn’t backing down. TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING “Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border. If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, [Biden] needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now,” he wrote. Abbott is fighting multiple legal battles with the Biden administration, which has threatened legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass. Texas has also filed lawsuits against the administration, which cut razor wire set up by the state on the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into Texas, as well as the establishment of buoys on the river. ABBOTT DECLARES TEXAS HAS ‘RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE’ FROM MIGRANT ‘INVASION’ AMID FEUD WITH BIDEN ADMIN Abbott’s fiery Wednesday statement invoked the American Founding Fathers and accused Biden of refusing to enforce the law. “The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting states, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.” “James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats,” he added.
Fossil fuel industry unleashes on Biden for halting key natural gas projects
A large coalition of more than 30 fossil fuel industry associations is raising the alarm over an expected White House decision to delay permitting for key natural gas export facilities over their potential climate impacts. The groups — including the American Petroleum Institute (API) and American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) — penned a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, saying the actions would be a “major mistake,” harming U.S. jobs and putting allies at risk. The letter came shortly after The New York Times reported President Biden will soon order climate impact analyses for 17 proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects. “The United States is the world leader in natural gas production, meeting record domestic demand and becoming the top exporter of LNG in 2023,” the joint letter stated. “Our nation’s abundant supply of natural gas is an impactful geopolitical tool, helping insulate American consumers from increasing global instability while advancing American national interests and ensuring the energy security of key U.S. allies.” “Moving forward with a pause on U.S. LNG export approvals would only bolster Russian influence and undercut President Biden’s own commitment to supply our allies with reliable energy, undermining American credibility and threatening American jobs,” they continued. ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO TANK NATURAL GAS PROJECT AMID NATIONWIDE ARCTIC BLAST According to industry, LNG export facilities are vital to meet energy demand in Europe and Asia as nations look to wean off Russian natural gas supplies. In the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Biden traveled to Europe and struck a deal with the European Union, vowing to send more U.S. LNG to the bloc. And this month, energy associations Eurogas and the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) issued strong statements of support for continued permitting of U.S. LNG export terminals. Eurogas reiterated such exports were critical for ensuring the full phase down of Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas, while ANGEA added U.S. LNG is needed to meet Asia’s decarbonization goals. BIDEN ADMIN ABRUPTLY REVERSES PROPOSAL OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP AFTER GOP OPPOSITION However, the New York Times report Wednesday, citing three unnamed officials with knowledge of internal deliberations, stated Biden would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a more rigorous environmental review process for 17 pending LNG export terminals. While the DOE still needs to sign off on the proposed projects’ permits, it was not previously required to analyze their contribution to climate change. The agency has never before rejected a gas export application on climate grounds. “This would be a win for Russia and a loss for American allies, U.S. jobs and global climate progress,” API CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement. “There is no review needed to understand the clear benefits of U.S. LNG for stabilizing global energy markets, supporting thousands of American jobs and reducing emissions around the world by transitioning countries toward cleaner fuels.” “This is nothing more than a broken promise to U.S. allies, and it’s time for the administration to stop playing politics with global energy security,” he said. ENERGY DEVELOPER AXING KEY COAL POWER PLANTS TO MEET ECO GOALS, JEOPARDIZING POWER FOR MILLIONS In addition, proponents of increased LNG exports have noted that transitioning the world’s economy to more natural gas reliance would also help ensure nations meet decarbonization goals. Without increased LNG, they argue, nations would rely more heavily on coal-fired power generation, which has a much larger carbon footprint when burned than natural gas power generation. The industry letter to Granholm noted that the U.S. has led the world in carbon emissions reductions thanks in large part to greater reliance on natural gas. Coal produced the largest share of electricity generated in the U.S. for decades until 2015 when natural gas surpassed it. “America should be exporting more LNG not less, and any action or future plan to hinder American LNG exports, including the White House’s reported pause on CP2, is misguided policy that undermines the US economy, our allies’ security, and global emissions goals,” AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury said in a statement. Among the projects that would be impacted by the DOE’s review is the so-called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project, a proposed $10 billion LNG terminal located on a 546-acre site in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which would be the largest export terminal of its kind in the nation. According to its developer Venture Global, the facility would have a nameplate export capacity of 20 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG and a peak capacity of about 24 MTPA. In 2023, the U.S. exported 88.9 MT of LNG, according to a FOX Business analysis of tanker tracking data, meaning the CP2 facility would alone increase exports by a staggering 23%. “It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policymaking through leaks to the media. This continues to create uncertainty about whether our allies can rely on US LNG for their energy security,” Shaylyn Hynes, a spokesperson for energy developer Venture Global, said in a statement. “If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire U.S. LNG industry.” “Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States,” Hynes added. “The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal.”
Trump White House official Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months for defying Jan. 6 subpoena
Peter Navarro, who served in the White House under former President Donald Trump, was sentenced Thursday for flouting a House Jan. 6 committee subpoena. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Navarro to four months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $9,500. That’s two months shorter than the six prosecutors had sought, but Mehta drastically reduced the whopping $200,000 fine sought by the Justice Department. A former adviser to the president on trade and manufacturing policies, Navarro was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The subpoena required Navarro to appear and produce documents in February 2022, and sit for a deposition in March 2022, but Navarro refused to provide the materials and testify. As a private citizen, he was indicted on June 2, 2022. In announcing the sentencing decision, Mehta cited how Navarro had claimed a “two-tier system of justice” and described the Jan. 6 committee as a “kangaroo court.” “I have made clear my confusion about his arrest when he could have been offered self-surrender… The idea that he is subject to a two-tiered system of justice when he’s sitting here with 4 very capable lawyers is a real head-scratcher,” the judge said. “The words executive privilege are not magical dust… it’s not a get out of jail free card. To not engage with the committee to work through the issues… to simply not engage, there’s no basis for it.” Mehta on Thursday had gone through a tedious recounting of the sentencing guidelines and came to the conclusion that there is a “zero to six months range,” of imprisonment in this case, as well as a fine range of $500 to $9,500. Sentencing guidelines are only a suggestion, and the judge could have sentenced Navarro to a longer sentence if he saw fit. At the sentencing hearing, Navarro spoke in his own defense, saying he defied the subpoena because he believed in “good faith” that Trump had invoked executive privilege. “When I received that congressional subpoena, the second, I had an honest belief that the privilege had been invoked, and I was torn. Nobody in my position should be put in conflict between the legislative branch and the executive branch. Is that the lesson of this entire proceeding? Get a letter and a lawyer? I think in a way it is,” Navarro said. “I am disappointed with a process where a jury convicted me, and I was unable to provide a defense, one of the most important elements of our justice system.” DOJ RECOMMENDS 6 MONTH SENTENCE FOR FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO “The day of the attack on our Capitol was one of the worst days of my life. Desecration of our Capitol and the end of any argument about the Vote Count law on our books,” he added. Navarro’s defense attorney said the court of appeal will determine if executive privilege applies. The judge noted how in citing executive privilege, another White House adviser, Kellyanne Conway “had an (DOJ Office of Legal Counsel) OLC opinion she could rely on,” but Navarro had no such opinion and didn’t hire representation. “I have a great deal of respect for your client and what he accomplished and that makes it more disappointing,” Mehta said, also noting that Mark Meadows, who also faced a Jan. 6 committee subpoena, “produced documents, produced texts, he didn’t testify, but at least he did something.” “Before he was contacted, what they wanted. He responded, ‘Executive Privilege.’ That makes it clear that this defendant did not take this seriously. The defendant simply defied Congress. The defendant believes that he is above the law,” a prosecutor said of Navarro in addressing the court Thursday. “The things the committee wanted to talk to him about were not exclusively about conversations he had with the president.” Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Navarro to six months behind bars and impose a $200,000 fine. The Justice Department has previously noted that each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000. FORMER TRUMP ADVISER NAVARRO CONVICTED OF CONTEMPT AFTER DEFYING JAN. 6 SUBPOENA “The United States vs. Peter Navarro has turned out to be a very important landmark constitutional case. That is going to resolve important issues about the constitutional separation of powers as well as, the integrity, efficiency of presidential decision-making. And we’ll see what happens today. Is that what Trump loves to say? Let’s see what happens,” Navarro told reporters upon arriving at the courthouse Thursday morning. He said his legal bills associated with the case have surpassed $1 million and thanked 20,000 small donors for their help. He also appealed to supporters to donate to help cover his legal expenses at defendpeter.com. Navarro has vowed to appeal the verdict, saying he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. The judge barred him from making that argument at trial, however, finding that he didn’t show Trump had actually invoked it. Justice Department prosecutors say Navarro tried to “hide behind claims of privilege” even before he knew exactly what the committee wanted, showing a “disdain” for the committee that should warrant a longer sentence. Defense attorneys said Trump did claim executive privilege, putting Navarro in an “untenable position,” and the former adviser should be sentenced to probation and a $100 fine. Navarro was the second Trump aide to face contempt of Congress charges. Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was convicted of two counts and was sentenced to four months behind bars, though he has been free while appealing his conviction. Navarro’s sentencing comes after a judge rejected his bid for a new trial. His attorneys had argued that jurors may have been improperly influenced by political protesters outside the courthouse when they