Sen Vance memo warns GOP colleagues of ‘systemic failures’ in US aid to Ukraine
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, is sending a memo to GOP colleagues ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s closed-door meeting on Ukraine, warning lawmakers about the latest Department of Defense (DOD) report that he said detailed the “shortcomings in monitoring U.S. aid to Ukraine.” The January 2024 report, the most recent in a series of government watchdog publications highlighting deficiencies in overseeing U.S. aid to Ukraine, outlines the inadequacies of both the Biden administration and the Ukrainian Armed Forces in effectively monitoring U.S.-supplied weapons. The report from the Inspector General specifically delves into enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM), a classification reserved for weapons that “incorporate sensitive technology,” are “particularly susceptible to diversion or misuse,” or could have “serious consequences” if diverted or misused. According to the report, a substantial 59%, or $1.005 billion out of the total $1.699 billion value of EEUM-designated weapons sent to Ukraine, were classified as “delinquent.” This means that they were not monitored in accordance with DOD standards. JD VANCE: BIDEN IS THREATENING TEXAS OVER THE BORDER “Claims of radical transparency and tracking of U.S. weapons in Ukraine are simply not accurate,” Vance wrote in the memo. “Assertions that ‘there is no evidence of illicit transfer of EEUM defense articles provided to Ukraine’ sidestep the reality that an accurate, up-to-date inventory of U.S.- supplied weapons in Ukraine – which the DOD IG report demonstrates that the U.S. does not have – is necessary to determine whether weapons have fallen into the wrong hands.” The report also noted the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) and U.S. personnel didn’t properly monitor important defense items, making it difficult to know if they were misused or stolen. The report revealed that the UAF failed to provide expenditure reports by serial number to U.S. personnel. Vance wrote, “U.S. personnel on the ground could not keep up with the volume of weapons streaming into Ukraine and failed to keep an accurate, timely record of them” and that, “There was no live, comprehensive database of equipment sent to Ukraine, and systemic failures inhibited the proper validation of reports of lost or expended equipment.” Lastly, Vance wrote in the memo that “EEUM procedures were not designed for use in war zones like Ukraine, and were thus less effective in ensuring oversight of U.S.-supplied weapons.” “There were no official procedures for conducting EEUM in a hostile environment like Ukraine’s until December 2022 – more than nine months after this latest iteration of the Ukraine-Russia conflict began,” he said. PENTAGON FINALLY RUNS OUT OF MONEY FOR UKRAINE, URGES 50 ALLIES TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING KYIV RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS WEIGH BILL TO SEIZE PROPERTY FROM THOSE WHO CRITICIZE PUTIN’S INVASION OF UKRAINE Vance, a vocal critic of more aid to Ukraine without proper oversight alongside a handful of other Republicans, previously said the U.S. needs to accept that Ukraine must “cede some territory” to Russia and that American leadership must ensure the U.S. is “not writing more blank checks” to fund Kyiv’s forces. Lawmakers have a private Senate GOP conference meeting to discuss additional aid to Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon as the White House has already depleted the amount of funds it can send without congressional approval. Border security is the key to more Ukraine assistance. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have remained in lockstep when it comes to pairing Ukraine aid and border security together, despite several dissenting voices in the GOP arguing they should be voted on separately. Negotiations to secure a deal on the border are ongoing, and it’s unclear when an agreement will be finalized. But it will likely face an uphill battle when it does get a vote in the upper chamber and makes it to the GOP-controlled House.
Vermont GOP governor proposes $8.6 billion budget, urges lawmakers to avoid tax increase
Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Tuesday proposed an $8.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 and, as he has done before, urged lawmakers not to raise taxes or fees for Vermonters, saying it will be a tough budget year. The budget proposal makes investments in the priorities the governor focused on earlier this month in his state-of-the-state address: affordability, public safety and housing. “I also understand the realities of a supermajority, which means you don’t have to listen, or even consider, my priorities or objections,” he told lawmakers assembled in the House chamber for his budget address. “But I bet many of you do hear, and maybe even share, some of my concerns. More importantly, I’m pretty sure the majority of our constituents certainly do.” ‘VERMONT DELIVERED ON ALL FRONTS’: RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS REVEAL WHY PEOPLE ARE FLOCKING TO THE STATE Scott urged lawmakers to work with the administration to fix, not just fund, the problems. Last year, Scott vetoed the $8.5 billion budget bill that was largest spending plan in state history. But the Democratic-controlled legislature overrode his veto. He said Tuesday that he doesn’t believe there will be a lot of disagreement about what is in his budget plan but likely in what is not included. Federal pandemic-era funds have ended, and the state has returned to pre-pandemic spending levels, he warned. While the state had a recent increase in revenues, it has had unexpected costs, too, he said., 23 SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS RESCUED FROM VERMONT BACKCOUNTRY AFTER GETTING LOST IN FRIGID TEMPERATURES House Speaker Jill Krowinski, a Democrat, said Vermont has challenges, but it also has opportunities. “I think his speech was long on fear and short on hope,” she told WCAX-TV. Among the investments are $4.9 million of the opioid settlement funds to increase the amount of staff and hours in three or more hubs for drug treatment and to support the work of re-entry and recovery centers for those leaving incarceration, according to the budget summary. He also suggests investing $1.7 million for 20 mental health workers in state police barracks and $6 million in a program that provides grants to improve vacant rental housing units and add housing units to existing buildings. After catastrophic flooding hit Vermont in July, Scott proposes using $12.5 million to help communities with their state match requirements for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance to mitigate flood hazards and $500,000 for a state match for federal funding to evaluate future flood measures for the Winooski River.
Maryland county’s gun safety pamphlet law upheld in federal appeals court
A federal appeals court upheld a county law in Maryland on Tuesday that requires gun dealers to distribute information about suicide prevention, conflict resolution and mental health resources. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, ruled in favor of the Anne Arundel County law approved in 2022. The panel rejected an appeal on First Amendment grounds by the gun rights group Maryland Shall Issue and four gun store owners, after a federal judge ruled in favor of the county. In the decision released Tuesday, Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote that the county law required the pamphlets as a health and safety advisory, informing purchasers of the nature, causes, and risks of suicides and the role that guns play in them. BALTIMORE POLICE OFFICERS CLEARED OF CHARGES IN FATAL SHOOTING OF SUSPECT DURING FOOT PURSUIT While the literature points out that “access” to firearms is a “risk factor,” the judge wrote that the pamphlets don’t suggest to the reader that he or she should not purchase a firearm. “More particularly, we do not read it to suggest to firearm purchasers that firearms should not be purchased because doing so causes suicide. Rather, the pamphlet is more in line with other similar safety warnings — widely applicable and accepted — that gun owners should store guns safely, especially to prevent misuse and child access,” Niemeyer wrote. Judges Roger Gregory and Toby Heytens joined the opinion. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman commended the ruling for requiring gun stores to give customers the information. “Ensuring gun owners are aware of accessible mental health and suicide prevention services is a critical step in reducing gun deaths and saving lives,” Pittman said. Mark Pennak, president of Maryland Shall Issue, said he thought the ruling was “grievously wrong,” because it compels speech at a place of commercial establishment. “That’s never been the law,” Pennak said. “It’s contrary to Supreme Court precedent, and it would invite wholesale unconstitutional action by governments.” Pennak said he is considering an appeal to either the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court. After a mass shooting that left five people dead at the Capital Gazette newsroom in 2018, Pittman created a task force to recommend ways to help reduce gun violence. The task force recommended that the county establish a partnership with gun sellers, gun safety advocacy organizations and agencies working to prevent domestic violence and suicide. In 2022, the Anne Arundel County Council passed a measure that directed the county’s health department to distribute literature about “gun safety, gun training, suicide prevention, mental health, and conflict resolution” to stores that sell firearms and ammunition. It also required the stores to display the pamphlets and to distribute them with the purchase of guns and ammunition. The literature consists of a pamphlet jointly authored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention concerning firearms and suicide prevention, as well as a one-page insert developed by the county concerning local resources for suicide and conflict prevention.
People run for their lives from Khan Younis in Gaza
NewsFeed Palestinians are fleeing Khan Younis in south Gaza where Israeli forces say they have encircled the city and dozens of people have been killed in recent attacks. Published On 24 Jan 202424 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Sri Lanka Parliament passes bill to regulate online content
Sri Lanka’s Parliament has passed a hastily proposed bill to regulate online content, sparking criticism from rights groups and opposition politicians that the government is trying to crack down on dissent and stifle freedom of speech ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections this year. The measure was passed on Wednesday by a 108-62 vote, the speaker announced. Under the Online Safety Bill, content creators deemed to be posting “illegal” material by a five-member commission will be punished with jail sentences. It also holds companies such as Google, Facebook and X accountable for content posted on their platforms. President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government said the bill, presented to the legislature just one day before Wednesday’s vote, was aimed at battling cybercrimes, including child abuse, data theft and online fraud. The country logged 8,000 cybercrimes last year, said Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, who denied the legislation would impact freedom of speech. “It is not to suppress the media or the opposition. … Any complaint will be taken up by the commission, who will be appointed by the president, and they will decide how to act,” Alles said. Human Rights Watch criticised the bill, warning that members of the Online Safety Commission would have arbitrary powers to “decide what online speech is ‘false’ or ‘harmful’, remove content, restrict and prohibit internet access, and prosecute individuals and organizations”. Offenses under the bill carry hefty fines and prison sentences of up to five years, the international rights group said. Protests After Wednesday’s vote, a small group of activists and opposition members protested outside parliament. Harsha de Silva, a lawmaker from the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, told parliament the legislation was “a threat to our democracy”. “This will have a severe negative impact on expanding e-commerce in Sri Lanka, to provide jobs to our youth and help our economy, which is in desperate need of growth.” On Tuesday, when lawmakers started debating the bill, Eran Wickramaratne, also from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, said he did not understand why the government was in such a hurry to pass it. “We should take more time and have a better approach to passing laws that are this significant,” he said. The Asian Internet Coalition (AIC), which has Apple, Amazon, Google and Yahoo as members, warned that the bill was a “draconian system to stifle dissent”, and said it “could undermine the potential growth of Sri Lanka’s digital economy”. “We unequivocally stand by our position that the Online Safety Bill, in its current form, is unworkable and would undermine potential growth and foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka’s digital economy,” the AIC said in a statement. Turmoil Wickremesinghe came to power in 2022 after months-long protests over economic turmoil and poor governance toppled the previous prime minister and president. Since taking the helm, he has been accused of stifling dissent. In 2002, he declared a state of emergency, granting sweeping powers to the military and promising to take a tough line against “trouble makers”. Several protest leaders were arrested in what critics called a “witch-hunt”. Police detain protesters during an anti-government march in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on September 24, 2022, while the country was in its worst economic crisis in decades due to a lack of foreign reserves, resulting in severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and imported goods[File: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA-EFE] The United Nations condemned the president’s “misuse of emergency measures”, saying they impinged “on the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression”. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also criticised a proposed counterterrorism law granting sweeping powers to the police and military to conduct searches and arrest people with “inadequate judicial oversight”. Elections are expected to be held in the autumn. Adblock test (Why?)
Reporters block Ghana team bus to demand answers after AFCON failure
NewsFeed See the moment reporters blocked Ghana’s bus to demand answers after the team’s draw against Mozambique left them heading for a group stage exit from AFCON. Results in other games meant they were subsequently knocked out and manager Chris Hughton was sacked. Published On 24 Jan 202424 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Republic Day 2024 Delhi Metro timings: DMRC to begin services on Jan 26 at…
People who will have bona fide e-invitation cards or e-tickets for attending the Republic Day ceremony will be issued coupons.
Why Republic Day is celebrated at Kartavya Path every year, know here
Rajpath, now known as Kartavya Path, has been a silent witness to the dawn of Independence and has hosted Republic Day celebrations for over seven decades.
US laughs off reports of Putin eyeing Alaska as Russia’s ‘former real estate’: ‘Not getting it back’
The U.S. State Department on Monday brushed off reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to look into reclaiming what he deems former Russian “real estate,” including Alaska. “Let me just understand that he signed something today that said that the sale of Alaska is illegitimate? Well, I speak for all of us in the, in the U.S. government to say that certainly he is not getting it back,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at his daily briefing when asked about the reported decree. According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Putin signed a decree on Friday to allocate funds to the Russian Department of Foreign Property of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation to cover “the process of searching the real estate property owned by the Russian Federation, the former Russian Empire, the former USSR,” as well as for “due registration of [property] rights” and “legal protection of this property.” It is unclear if Putin had his sights on Alaska, but the Institute for the Study of War, an American think tank, noted on Friday that, “A prominent milblogger responded to the decree by implausibly calling for Russia to start enacting the law in “Alaska” and throughout a significant portion of eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.” “We suggest starting with Alaska, the Dnieper Ukraine, Bessarabia, the Grand Duchy of Finland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Central Asian states of Russian Turkestan, most of the Baltic provinces, and a significant part of Poland,” the Russian nationalist blogger wrote on Telegram, sharing a photo of Putin’s decree. “Property can be searched both in the GDR and in other Warsaw Pact countries. An expedition of combat legal defenders has already set out for Africa.” RUSSIAN TRANSPORT PLANE CRASHES NEAR UKRAINE WITH MORE THAN 60 UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR ABOARD Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev seemed to mock Patel’s comment about Alaska later Monday. “According to a State Department representative, Russia is not getting back Alaska, which was sold to the U.S. in the 19th century. This is it, then. And we’ve been waiting for it to be returned any day. Now war is unavoidable,” he wrote on X. During a 2014 question-and-answer session, Putin, when asked if he had plans regarding the “annexation of Alaska,” described the 1867 sale at $7.2 million as “inexpensive.” “Alaska was sold sometime in the 19th century. Louisiana was sold to the United States by the French at about the same time. Thousands of square kilometers were sold for $7.2 million, although in gold. We can calculate the equivalent amount, but it was definitely inexpensive,” Putin said, according to a Washington Post transcript. “Russia is a northern country with 70% of its territory located in the north and the far north. Alaska is not located in the southern hemisphere, either, is it? It’s cold out there as well. Let’s not get worked up about it, all right?” Russian journalist Kirill Kleimyonov had joked during the session, “That’s a popular joke, Mr. Putin. They call Alaska ‘Ice Crimea’ in jest.” WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH PASSES 300 DAYS IN RUSSIAN DETAINMENT However, the prospect of Moscow reclaiming Alaska was also referenced by Russian politician Sergey Mironov as recently as December, when he reacted on X to Venezuela approving a referendum to take over neighboring oil-rich Essequibo region controlled by Guyana. “Did you want a new world order? Receive and sign. Venezuela annexed a 24th state, Guyana-Essequibo. This is happening right under the nose of the once great hegemon of the United States. All that remains is for Mexico to return Texas and the rest. It’s time for Americans to think about their future. And also about Alaska,” he wrote on Dec. 6. Russia “offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, believing the United States would off-set the designs of Russia’s greatest rival in the Pacific, Great Britain,” according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian. “The looming U.S. Civil War delayed the sale, but after the war, Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer and on March 30, 1867, agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister in Washington, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. The Senate approved the treaty of purchase on April 9; President Andrew Johnson signed the treaty on May 28, and Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867.” The purchase “ended Russia’s presence in North America and ensured U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim,” the office says, noting how the 1867 sale, “marked the end of Russian efforts to expand trade and settlements to the Pacific coast of North America, and became an important step in the United States rise as a great power in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Attempt by Georgia elections board to investigate secretary of state sparks legal debate
An attempt to state that Georgia’s appointed State Election Board has the legal power to investigate Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s handling of elections blossomed into a constitutional showdown Tuesday, with a lawyer for Raffensperger saying board members can’t legally oversee him. “There is no precedent for an unelected board of political appointees to have oversight over members of the executive branch,” wrote Charlene McGowan, Raffensperger’s general counsel. “Giving a board of unelected bureaucrats unchecked power over the state’s executive branch is a dangerous policy proposal.” But the Senate Ethics Committee disagreed, voting to advance Senate Bill 358. The proposal would remove Raffensperger from his nonvoting post on the board, allow the board to hire election investigators instead of solely relying on those working for Raffensperger and clearly give the board power to investigate the secretary of state. TRUMP GA PROSECUTOR IN RELATIONSHIP WITH DA BLASTED FOR ‘INADEQUATE’ INFO ON DRUG, ALCOHOL USE: DIVORCE DOCS “We’re looking to empower the State Election Board so that they can have oversight responsibility and that there’s no confusion about where that oversight responsibility is vested,” said Ethics Committee Chairman Max Burns, a Sylvania Republican. It’s only part of a push by Republican lawmakers for changes in how elections are run in Georgia. Raffensperger’s steadfast defense of Georgia’s 2020 election, which Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won, and his rejection of a call by Donald Trump to “find” more Republican votes made him a national figure. But Raffensperger is also a pariah among many Republican activists, who continue pushing Trump’s false claims that Georgia’s 2020 results were marred by fraud and that Trump was the rightful winner. And those activists continue to exert pressure on Republican Georgia lawmakers, who face election this year. Activists have been pushing the State Election Board to investigate whether Raffensperger mishandled his audit of Fulton County’s 2020 results, motivated by unproven claims of fraud. The board deadlocked 2-2 in December on whether it had such authority, and two board members asked lawmakers to clarify the law. A lawyer who works for the legislature told committee members Tuesday it’s “an open question under Georgia constitutional law” whether the State Election Board can regulate the secretary of state, but said the measure wouldn’t affect Raffensperger’s duties as outlined in the constitution. Supporters said they can go forward because most of Raffensperger’s election responsibilities are outlined in state law, not the Georgia Constitution. “They’re all in general law that the Georgia General Assembly has passed over the course of time in our state history,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican. “So we can change them, amend them in any way we want, through the legislative process.” McGowan warned that lawmakers are aiding people who want to overturn legitimate election results and could empower the board to obstruct certification of Georgia’s 2024 presidential results. “In fact, this proposal is being pushed by a small group of activists who continue to seek de-certification of the 2020 presidential election results, with the apparent intent of giving the State Election Board the ability to interfere with or even prevent the secretary from certifying the results of the 2024 presidential election,” McGowan wrote. Lawmakers also want Raffensperger to remove computer codes used to count most Georgia ballots, to move more quickly to patch voting machine software vulnerabilities, and include more ballot security features. Neither Raffensperger nor any of his staff appeared during the Tuesday Senate committee meeting, a contrast with testimony Raffensperger deputy Gabriel Sterling gave to a House Governmental Affairs subcommittee Tuesday on other bills. Sterling said Raffensperger supports a bill to stamp ballots with a watermark to ensure voters know they aren’t forged. He also voiced support for a measure proposing more and stricter after-election audits to guarantee machines count ballots correctly. And Governmental Affairs Chairman John LaHood, a Valdosta Republican, agreed to amend a bill calling for high-resolution scans of ballots to be released for public inspection after Sterling said current scanners only produce lower-resolution images. LaHood has also proposed a bill backed by Republican House Speaker Jon Burns that would mandate Georgia stop using QR codes to count ballots by July 1. Opponents say voters can’t be sure the computer codes match the choices printed on their ballots. “Every one of our committee members said their citizens do not trust the QR code. So let’s go ahead and get rid of it,” Sen Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican, said recently. Raffensperger told lawmakers last week that he supports a move to scan “human readable text,” the names printed on ballots, to count votes. But he said it was impossible to make such a change before the November presidential election. Eliminating QR codes would cost $15 million to buy more than 32,000 ballot printers statewide, Raffensperger’s office has estimated. The House subcommittee didn’t hear testimony Tuesday on the bill to ban QR codes. LaHood said afterwards he was hopeful Raffensperger’s office might propose a new solution using optical character recognition software.