The Political Thread

[Grimoire Lenin]

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/14/1199555068/death-toll-soars-to-11-300-from-flooding-in-libyan-coastal-city-of-derna

Devastating news in Libya as well.

 

[Chris]

Special counsel seeks 'narrowly tailored' gag order against Trump, citing 'disparaging and inflammatory attacks'

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a judge to impose a "narrowly tailored" gag order against former President Trump in his 2020 federal election interference case.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Chris]

Maui death toll from wildfires drops to at least 97; officials say 31 still missing

Authorities in Hawaii have adjusted the number of deaths from the deadly Maui wildfires down to at least 97 people.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Kim Davis Ordered to Pay $100,000 in Damages to Same-Sex Couples She Denied Marriage Licenses

I remember this bitch, about time she got what she deserved.

 

[Samoa Looch]

That's nice... will she pay anything though?

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

That's nice... will she pay anything though?

Who knows, more often than not the point of punitive damages is that it places culpability on public record.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Who knows, more often than not the point of punitive damages is that it places culpability on public record.

I know... it just would be great if you guys would've compensational incarceration in cases like this

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

I know... it just would be great if you guys would've compensational incarceration in cases like this

That isn't really how it works in civil cases though.

 

[Samoa Looch]

That isn't really how it works in civil cases though.

I know, I know... I was just saying.

 

[Chris]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted in impeachment trial

Paxton was impeached for allegedly taking bribes, but ultimately members of his party chose not to vote for his conviction and removal from office.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Whaaaat. No way. Here I thought Republicans were the party of Law and Order.

 

[Doom]

Sorry wrong thread.

 

[Jay-Ashley]

Whaaaat. No way. Here I thought Republicans were the party of Law and Order.

Republicans beileve in "Okay for me, but not the" come on man lol

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Here's some news round-up from around the country and world.

Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted at his impeachment trial. He still faces legal troubles

For years, the powers and protections that come with being Texas’ top lawyer have helped Ken Paxton fend off ethics complaints, criminal charges and an FBI investigation.

apnews.com

DALLAS (AP) — For years, the powers and protections that come with being Texas’ top lawyer have helped Ken Paxton fend off ethics complaints, criminal charges and an FBI investigation.

With the Texas Senate’s Saturday vote to acquit Paxton of corruption charges at his impeachment trial the Republican has once again demonstrated his rare political resilience. And he retains the shield of the attorney general’s office in legal battles still to come.[...]

[...]Back in office, Paxton nonetheless still faces serious risk on three fronts: an ongoing federal investigation into the same allegations that led to his impeachment; a disciplinary proceeding over his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election; and felony securities fraud charges dating to 2015. Here’s what to know about each:

THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION Paxton came under FBI investigation in 2020 when eight of his top deputies reported him for allegedly breaking the law to help a wealthy donor, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.[...]

[...]In 2015, Paxton was indicted on charges of defrauding investors in a Dallas-area tech startup by not disclosing he was being paid by the company, called Servergy, to recruit them. He faces five to 99 years in prison if convicted and has pleaded not guilty.

The indictments were handed up just months after Paxton was sworn in as attorney general. He won a second and third terms despite them.

Paxton’s trial has been delayed by legal debate over whether it should be heard in the Dallas area or Houston, changes in which judge would handle it, and a protracted battle over how much the special prosecutors should get paid.[...]

[...]Also on hold during Paxton’s impeachment trial was an ethics case brought by the state bar.

In 2020, Paxton asked the U.S. Supreme Court to, effectively, overturn then-President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat by Joe Biden based on bogus claims of fraud. The high court threw out the request.

Afterward, the State Bar of Texas received a series of complaints alleging that Paxton and a deputy had committed professional misconduct with the suit. The bar didn’t initially take up the complaints but later launched an investigation.

Last year, the bar sued seeking unspecified discipline for Paxton and his second-in-command, alleging they were “dishonest” with the Supreme Court.[...]

South Korea's Yoon warns against Russia-North Korea military cooperation and plans to discuss at UN

South Korea’s president says the international community “will unite more tightly” to cope with deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as he plans to raise the issue with world leaders at the U.N.

apnews.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said the international community “will unite more tightly” to cope with deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as he plans to raise the issue with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

Worries about Russian-North Korean ties have flared since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia last week for a summit with President Vladimir Putin and to tour a slew of high-profile military and technology sites. Foreign experts speculate Kim could refill Russia’s ammunition inventory drained in its 18-month war with Ukraine in return for economic aid and technologies to modernize his weapons systems targeting South Korea and the U.S.

“Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is illegal and unjust as it contravenes U.N. Security Council resolutions and various other international sanctions,” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in written responses to questions from The Associated Press before his departure to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly.

“The international community will unite more tightly in response to such a move,” he said.[...]

Progressive Councilmember Freddie O'Connell wins Nashville mayor's race

Nashville metro councilmember Freddie O'Connell has resoundingly won the race to become the next mayor of the Democratic-leaning city.

apnews.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Freddie O’Connell, a progressive member of Nashville’s metro council, has resoundingly won the race to become the next mayor of the Democratic-leaning city, according to unofficial results.

Results from the Davidson County Election Commission show O’Connell defeated conservative candidate Alice Rolli in Thursday’s runoff election by a wide margin, with all precincts reporting. Candidates in the race do not run with party affiliations.

Since 2015, O’Connell has served on the combined city-county government’s council, representing a district that covers downtown Nashville. He succeeds Mayor John Cooper, who decided not to seek reelection.

O’Connell, whose campaign touted him as the “only truly progressive candidate running for mayor,” said he wants to make the city “more ’ville and less Vegas,” a reference to the “Nashvegas” moniker sometimes used to liken the huge boom in tourism in the city to Las Vegas.[...]

Comedian Russell Brand denies allegations of sexual assault published by three UK news organizations

Three British news organizations are reporting that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.

apnews.com

LONDON (AP) — Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.

Brand denied the allegations and said that all of his relationships have been consensual.

The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” said that one woman alleged she had been raped, while three others accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also said he had been physically and emotionally abusive.

The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.

Before the stories were published, Brand posted a video online denying the allegations, which had been outlined in two “extremely disturbing letters” from a “mainstream media” television company and a newspaper. He didn’t identify the news organizations by name.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said. “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and, as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.”

“Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual,” he added. “I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well.”

Brand also suggested that the reports were part of a coordinated attack designed to discredit him because of his views. Brand has been criticized for expressing skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines and interviewing contentious podcasters like Joe Rogan.[...]

New York employers must include pay rates in job ads under new state law

Help-wanted advertisements in New York will have to disclose how much jobs pay under a new salary transparency law.

apnews.com

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Help-wanted advertisements in New York will have to disclose proposed pay rates after a statewide salary transparency law goes into effect on Sunday, part of growing state and city efforts to give women and people of color a tool to advocate for equal pay for equal work.

Employers with at least four workers will be required to disclose salary ranges for any job advertised externally to the public or internally to workers interested in a promotion or transfer.

Pay transparency, supporters say, will prevent employers from offering some job candidates less or more money based on age, gender, race or other factors not related to their skills.

Advocates believe the change also could help underpaid workers realize they make less than people doing the same job.

A similar pay transparency ordinance has been in effect in New York City since 2022. Now, the rest of the state joins a handful of others with similar laws, including California and Colorado.

“There is a trend, not just in legislatures but among workers, to know how much they can expect going into a job. There’s a demand from workers to know of the pay range,” said Da Hae Kim, a state policy senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center.

The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022, also will apply to remote employees who work outside of New York but report to a supervisor, office or worksite based in the state. The law would not apply to government agencies or temporary help firms.

Compliance will be a challenge, said Frank Kerbein, director of human resources at the New York Business Council, which has criticized the law for putting an additional administrative burden on employers.

“We have small employers who don’t even know about the law,” said Kerbein, who predicted there would be “a lot of unintentional noncompliance.” [...]

Letter showing Pope Pius XII had detailed information from German Jesuit about Nazi crimes revealed

Newly discovered correspondence in the Vatican archives suggests that Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being gassed each day in German-occupied Poland.

apnews.com

ROME (AP) — Newly discovered correspondence suggests that World War II-era Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being gassed each day in German-occupied Poland. The documentation undercuts the Holy See’s argument that it couldn’t verify diplomatic reports of Nazi atrocities to denounce them.

The documentation from the Vatican archives, published this weekend in Italian daily Corriere della Sera, is likely to further fuel the debate about Pius’ legacy and his now-stalled beatification campaign. Historians have long been divided about Pius’ record, with supporters insisting he used quiet diplomacy to save Jewish lives while critics say he remained silent as the Holocaust raged.

Corriere is reproducing a letter dated Dec. 14, 1942 from the German Jesuit priest to Pius’ secretary which is contained in an upcoming book about the newly opened files of Pius’ pontificate by Giovanni Coco, a researcher and archivist in the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives.

Coco told Corriere that the letter was significant because it represented detailed correspondence about the Nazi extermination of Jews, including in ovens, from an informed church source in Germany who was part of the Catholic anti-Hitler resistance that was able to get otherwise secret information to the Vatican.[...]

After castigating video games during riots, France's Macron backpedals and showers them with praise

French President Emmanuel Macron is extending an olive branch to video gamers after previously linking computer games to rioting that rocked France earlier this year.

apnews.com

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is extending an olive branch to video gamers after previously linking computer games to rioting that rocked France earlier this year.

Posting on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, Macron backpedaled on remarks in June where he blamed video games for having “intoxicated” some young rioters.

Those comments dismayed some in the gaming community, even beyond France. Japanese game director Kastuhiro Harada tweeted in response that “blaming something is a great way to escape the burden of responsibility.”

Macron started his unusually lengthy post this weekend with a mea culpa, saying: “I startled gamers.”

He then sought to clarify his thinking and showered video games and the industry with praise.

“Video games are an integral part of France,” Macron declared.

“I expressed my concerns at the end of June because delinquents had used video game habits to trivialize the violence on social networks,” he said. “It is this violence that I condemn, not video games.”

The unrest started after the police shooting of Nahel Merzouk in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on June 27. The French-born 17-year-old of north African descent was stopped by two officers on motorbikes who subsequently alleged that he’d been driving dangerously. He died from a single shot through his left arm and chest.

From Nanterre, violent protests quickly spread and morphed into generalized nationwide mayhem in cities, towns and even villages that was celebrated on social networks.

In a government crisis meeting at the time, Macron accused social networks of playing “a considerable role” in the unrest and of fueling copycat violence and castigated video games.

“Among the youngest (rioters), this leads to a sort of escape from reality. We sometimes have the feeling that some of them are living out, on the streets, the video games that have intoxicated them,” Macron said. [...]

Court sentences main suspects in Belgium's deadliest peacetime attack to 20-year to life terms

A Belgian court has sentenced five men to sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison on charges of terrorist murder linked to suicide bombings that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds at Brussels airport and a subway station.

apnews.com

BRUSSELS (AP) — A Belgian court on Friday sentenced five men to sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison on charges of terrorist murder in connection with 2016 suicide bombings that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds at Brussels airport and a busy subway station, the country’s deadliest peacetime attack.

A chief suspect, Salah Abdeslam, had previously been given a 20-year sentence for involvement in a shootout days before the March 22, 2016, attacks and received no further jail time. It happened after police discovered him and another suspect by accident when they inspected what they thought was an empty apartment. Four officers were hurt.

Abdeslam was serving a life sentence without parole in France over his part in attacks that hit Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France’s national stadium in 2015. Both the Paris and Brussels attacks were linked to the same Islamic State network.

Taking the stand at a high security court in Brussels on Monday before the jury and magistrates retired to deliberate on sentences, Abdeslam implored them for leniency, insisting that he did not take part in the suicide bombings in Belgium – two at the city’s airport and one on a subway train during the morning rush hour - and was not aware of the plot.[...]

Bangladesh is struggling to cope with a record dengue outbreak in which 778 people have died

Bangladesh is struggling with a record outbreak of dengue fever, with experts saying a lack of a coordinated response is causing more deaths from the mosquito-transmitted disease.

apnews.com

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh is struggling with a record outbreak of dengue fever, with experts saying a lack of a coordinated response is causing more deaths from the mosquito-transmitted disease.

The World Health Organization recently warned that diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading faster and further because of climate change.

So far this year, 778 people in Bangladesh have died and 157,172 have been infected, according to the government’s Directorate General Health Services. The U.N. children’s agency says the actual numbers are higher because many cases are not reported.

The previous highest number of deaths was in 2022, when 281 people are reported to have died during the entire year.[...]

Activists in Europe mark the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in Iran

Hundreds of people have gathered in central London to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini.

apnews.com

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds gathered in central London on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy.

Chanting “Women! Life! Freedom!,’' the crowds held her portrait and rallied around the memory of a young woman who died on Sept. 16, 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Similar protests took place in Italy, Germany and France.

“We’re calling on everyone to remember those killed, but also continue the fight, because this fight has to go to the end. Mahsa Jina Amini and the many others cannot have died in vain,″ said Maryam Namazie, an Iranian human rights activist in the U.K. “We have to have a better society as the result of this huge, Herculean fight.″

In Iran, authorities sought to prevent the anniversary from reigniting the protests that gripped the country last year. Amini’s father was detained outside his home after the family indicated that they planned to gather at her grave for a traditional service of commemoration, the Kurdish rights group Hengaw said. People in downtown Tehran reported a heavy security presence, and security forces were seen in western Iran, where the Kurdish minority staged large protests last year.[...]

 

[Chris]

The US moves to advance a prisoner swap deal with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen funds

The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money in South Korea without fear of U.S. sanctions.

apnews.com