Frustrated uss cole case judge retiring from military service

If China’s show of force over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip was meant as a deterrent, it has not had the intended effect in Taiwan, where the military drills have reinforced a careful two-pronged strategy of shoring up international support, while avoiding overt confrontation. The exercises, which encircled the self-ruled island and simulated a blockade, appear instead to have hardened the Taiwanese belief in the value of the island’s diplomatic, economic and military maneuverings to stake out a middle ground in the big-power standoff between China and the United States. Under President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwanese officials have quietly courted Washington, making gains with weapon sales and vows of support for the democracy. They have also held back from flaunting that success, in an effort to avoid outbursts from China, which claims the island as its own. As Beijing vows to normalize the military drills ever closer to Taiwan, that approach is likely to guide the island’s … [Read more...] about As China Vows More Military Exercises, Taiwan Is Undeterred

For the 26th time in two years, the Texas attorney general Ken Paxton recently filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a Biden administration policy. The suit, which seeks to wipe out a new Labor Department rule about the investment of pension trust assets, wasn’t filed in Austin, the state capital, or in Dallas, where the Labor Department’s regional offices are, or anywhere else with a logical connection to the dispute. It was filed in Amarillo. Why Amarillo? By filing there, Mr. Paxton had a 100 percent chance of having the case assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk — appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump in 2019 and a former deputy general counsel to the First Liberty Institute, which frequently litigates religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court. “Forum shopping” has long been a problem in civil litigation. Clever lawyers use procedural rules to file in courts deemed most likely to be sympathetic to their claims. But what Mr. Paxton and other plaintiffs are … [Read more...] about Don’t Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers’ Thwart the Will of Voters

close Video China is ‘very deliberate’ in its national security plans: Lt. Gen. Richard Newton Former Minot Air Force base Commander and Retired Lt. Gen. Richard Newton says China flying a balloon over U.S. military bases is a ‘significant’ move as part of their bigger picture. China fired the chief of its national weather service Saturday in a move widely seen as an effort to substantiate its claims that the balloon floating across the U.S. this weekend was an off-course weather craft. Beijing announced Zhuang Guotai's firing Saturday, hours before the U.S. shot down the craft off the coast of South Carolina. The U.S. is working to recover the balloon for inspection, but Beijing has argued that it was innocuous and its presence in U.S. airspace was an accident. "The Chinese side has, after verification, repeatedly informed the U.S. side of the civilian nature of the airship and conveyed that its entry into the U.S. due to force majeure … [Read more...] about China doubles down on its spy balloon story by firing national weather service chief

Live Updates An arrest has been made in connection with the November murders of four University of Idaho students, nearly seven weeks after the brutal attack. Authorities took 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger into custody Friday in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Kohberger, a graduate student at Washington State University, is facing first-degree murder and burglary charges, a Latah County prosecutor said in a press conference. Kohberger is being held without bond and will appear in a Pennsylvania court on Jan. 3 before he is extradited to Idaho. Police received over 19,000 tips and conducted over 300 interviews in the weeks since Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home on Nov. 13. On Friday, police searched Kohberger's apartment in Pullman, WA, and began cleanup efforts at the rental home where the four students were killed. Officials said the home remains an active crime … [Read more...] about Idaho Murders Updates: Suspect arrested, motive under investigation

On Wednesday, the city of Memphis remembered the life of Tyre Nichols, a young man who was beaten by at least five Memphis police officers and died three days later. Stories like this are terrible, they’re relentless, and they renew one of the most contentious debates in the nation: Are there deep and systemic problems with the American police? How we answer that question isn’t based solely on personal experience or even available data. It often reflects a massive partisan divide, one that reveals how we understand our relationships with the institutions we prize the most — and the least. Every year Gallup releases a survey that measures public confidence in a variety of American institutions, including the police. In 2022, no institution (aside from the presidency) reflected a greater partisan trust gap than the police. A full 67 percent of Republicans expressed confidence in the police, versus only 28 percent of Democrats. Why is that gap so large? While I try to avoid … [Read more...] about ‘Bad Apples’ or Systemic Issues?

A nurse who died with Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic knew he was at risk from it due to his diabetes , an inquest heard. Gareth Morgan Roberts began feeling ill on March 24, 2020, the day after the first lockdown was announced, and died on April 11. The 65-year-old, of Aberdare, South Wales, retired in 2015 after working in the NHS for more than 40 years. Shortly after, he returned to University Hospital Wales as a bank nurse. Colleagues told South Wales Central Coroner’s Court Mr Roberts was “hard-working” and someone “who never let anyone down”. He was fondly known for calling everyone “cariad” – “love” in Welsh. The court heard in the very early days of the pandemic, he was mainly working on a non-Covid and non-aerosol-generating ward in Cardiff’s Heath Hospital and was therefore not given full personal protective equipment. Nurse Dominga David died with Covid on May 26, 2020 ( Image: PA) He had type 2 diabetes and one of the questions the … [Read more...] about ‘Hard-working’ nurse, 65, who was killed by Covid ‘knew he was at risk’ due to diabetes

A Tory MP’s housekeeper today says she was treated like a slave, suffered insults, was reduced to tears and had to take legal action against the politician’s wife to get paid. Hazel Settas was given rigid instructions on answering the phone within four rings, how long to run the tap – and even how to arrange avocados in the fruit bowl. She says she “worked like a dog” for ex-justice minister Jonathan Djanogly and wife Rebecca. The live-in housekeeper was on duty from 7am to 7pm – but sometimes worked to 11pm. But Hazel, 32, claims Mr Djanogly, 57 – MP for Huntingdon, Cambs, from a family worth £300million – looked down on her as “not even a human”. And his wife, claims Hazel, allegedly said: “My husband’s an MP, you’re worthless.” Hazel Settas said she was reduced to tears and 'worked like a dog' ( Image: TIM ANDERSON) Hazel is one of two women who successfully took Mrs Djanogly – under her maiden name of Silk – to court for pay due to them. The second woman … [Read more...] about Tory MP’s housekeeper says she was treated like a SLAVE and took legal action to get paid

close Video Biden's State of the Union draws worst ratings in 30 years Fox News contributor Lara Trump says Americans are increasingly frustrated with Biden's performance as president. All eyes are on China and President Biden’s handling of the spy balloon from the Communist state that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina ahead of his State of the Union speech Tuesday. Republicans are voicing concerns that the administration has ignored or downplayed the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party after a Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to drift across the continental U.S. for several days before being taken down by the U.S. military. The president only mentioned China three times during his last address on March 1, arguing that his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law "put us on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st century that we face with the rest of the world, particularly China." "But, folks, to … [Read more...] about Biden only mentioned China 3 times in 2022 State of the Union address

After decades of loyal service to Donald J. Trump, Allen H. Weisselberg on Tuesday testified in the criminal tax-fraud trial of the former president’s family business, kicking the proceedings into high gear as he assumed an uncomfortable role: star witness for the prosecution. Mr. Weisselberg, the company’s longtime chief financial officer, pleaded guilty this summer to the same crimes for which the company is now on trial in a Manhattan court. As part of his deal, which is expected to spare him a lengthy prison sentence, Mr. Weisselberg agreed to give evidence against the company, even as he remains on its payroll and has refused to implicate Mr. Trump. Mr. Weisselberg, who took the stand on the same day that Mr. Trump announced his third run for president, provided crucial facts to bolster the Manhattan district attorney’s case, which centers on lucrative off-the-books perks that the company paid to Mr. Weisselberg and other executives. The benefits — including apartment rentals, … [Read more...] about Top Trump Organization Executive Testifies Against Firm He Helped Build

A broken CCTV camera could have hindered the search for missing mum Nicola Bulley , it is claimed - as police admit "blackspots" have affected their investigation. Officers have been trawling through camera footage trying to ascertain what happened to Nicola, 45, who has not been seen since January 27. The detective heading the investigation says the mum-of-two may have fallen into the water while trying to retrieve her dog's ball, but her friends and family have cast doubt on this theory. Police believe it is "very unlikely" that a third party was involved, but Nicola's sister has urged investigators to keep an "open mind". Hundreds of volunteers joined a search for the missing mortgage advisor today. Nicola was walking with her springer spaniel Willow at the side of the River Wyre close to St Michael's in Lancashire when she vanished. A frustrated pal has said that the one camera that could shed light on what happened is broken, piling on agony for her family. This … [Read more...] about Missing Nicola Bulley: Camera that could have seen EVERYTHING was ‘only one broken’