14 October 21
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The Saudi royal family gifted the former first son-in-law thousands of dollars worth of sharp objects.
In a Times story detailing the many gifts the Trump administration received from foreign governments, and an inspector general’s investigation into a missing $5,800 bottle of Japanese whiskey given to Mike Pompeo (which, per the Times, Pompeo said he never received), a 22-karat gold coin given to another State Department official, and allegations that “Mr. Trump’s political appointees walked off with gift bags worth thousands of dollars that were meant for foreign leaders at the Group of 7 summit planned for Camp David in 2020,” comes this fun detail:
In addition, the Trump administration never disclosed that Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and a top White House adviser, received two swords and a dagger from the Saudis, although he paid $47,920 for them along with three other gifts in February, after he left office.
Obviously, this raises more questions than it answers. Because the gifts were paid for, and Kushner presumably retained possession of them, what special display case does he keep them in? Does he show them off to visitors, saying, “These are from my buddy MBS, you know, the guy who had a man chopped into tiny pieces”? And maybe most importantly, how many times a week do you think he takes the swords and dagger out to play with them, and how many times has Ivanka had to take him to the emergency room for stitches despite having told him on numerous occasions, “Jared, these are not toys”? Inquiring minds would like to know.
The police working in Kongsberg, Norway, on Thursday, one day after a man killed several people in the town. (photo: Terje Bendiksby/NTB/AP)
ALSO SEE: Norway Bow-and-Arrow Attack That Killed Five People
Appears to Be 'Terrorist Act,' Police Say
Police say suspect in his 30s lived in the town of Kongsberg, where the attacks took place
The suspect lived in the town and was transported to the nearby town of Drammen on Wednesday night, the police said in a statement issued early on Thursday.
Police were interrogating the suspect and he was talking, his defence lawyer said. “He is cooperating and is giving detailed statements regarding this event,” his lawyer, Fredrik Neumann, told public broadcaster NRK.
Neumann said his client was “deeply affected” and would be remanded in custody later on Thursday. He declined to comment further beyond saying the suspect’s mother was Danish, but it was not known whether he had ever lived there.
Øyvind Aas, the police chief in Kongsberg, about 70km south-west of the capital, Oslo, told a press conference earlier on Wednesday night that the alleged attacker had been arrested and “according to our information, is the only person implicated”.
Aas said there had been “a confrontation” between officers and the assailant, but he did not elaborate. Two people were in intensive care, including an off-duty police officer.
Aas declined to comment on press reports that a police officer had been shot in the back. He said the attacks happened over “a large area” of the town and several crime scenes were involved.
The acting prime minister, Erna Solberg, described reports of the attack as “horrifying” and said it was too early to speculate on the man’s motive.
“I understand that many people are afraid, but it’s important to emphasise that the police are now in control,” she told a news conference.
The prime minister-designate, Jonas Gahr Støre, who is expected to take office on Thursday, called the assault “a cruel and brutal act” in comments to Norwegian news agency NTB.
The alleged attacker’s motive was not yet clear, Aas said, but police were not ruling out terrorism. “One person has performed these actions alone,” he said. “It is natural to consider whether it is an act of terrorism. But the man has not been questioned and it is too early to come to any conclusion.”
NRK said police in Kongsberg, a municipality of about 28,000 people, received reports at 6.13pm local time that a man was walking around the town centre firing a bow and arrow.
A woman who witnessed some of the attack, Hansine, told TV2 she had heard a disturbance, then saw a woman taking cover and “a man standing on the corner with arrows in a quiver on his shoulder and a bow in his hand”.
“Afterwards, I saw people running for their lives. One of them was a woman holding a child by the hand,” she said.
A “large number” of police, as well as helicopters, dogs and armed response teams secured the area soon afterwards, Aas said, and the suspect was arrested about 30 minutes later after a brief confrontation with officers.
The shooting appears to have started in or near a Coop store in the city centre where there were several casualties, Norwegian media reported, citing regional government officials who said details were “still very confused”.
A Coop spokesperson, Harald Kristiansen, told NRK there had been “a serious incident in our store” but no employees were among the injured. “We are providing assistance to our colleagues and helping police with their investigation,” he said.
“A lot of resources were sent from several places, including Oslo police district, the bomb squad, national police and emergency response teams,” Aas told journalists. “There is still a lot of police activity across the area. They are securing the various crime scenes … and have many witnesses to interview.”
A woman, who lived near the Coop store said she had heard alarms as she was walking home. “I saw a group of police officers, including one who held several arrows in his hand,” the woman, Marit Hoefle, told Aftenposten newspaper.
Kari Anne Sand, Kongsberg’s mayor, told VG newspaper the attack was “a tragedy for all those involved. I have no words”. Sand said a crisis team had been installed in a hotel to support those affected. “We are doing all we can,” she added. “Right now it is a chaotic situation and there are a lot of rumours.”
Shortly after the attack Norway’s national police directorate said it had ordered officers nationwide to carry firearms. Norwegian police are normally unarmed but officers have access to guns and rifles when needed.
“This is an extra precaution. The police have no indication so far that there is a change in the national threat level,” the directorate said in a statement.
Donald Trump. (photo: Getty Images)
“If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020...Republicans will not be voting in ’22 or ’24,” Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is the single most important thing for Republicans to do.”
The twice-impeached former president has routinely spouted debunked claims of election fraud in the months since leaving office, even after the violent Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Most elected Republicans have simply chosen to ignore him, dodging questions about the chaos Trump incited on Capitol Hill.
But Trump’s attempts to steer the entire party apparatus into questioning the integrity of U.S. election systems could cost Republicans at the ballot box. In Georgia, for example, Trump’s lies about fraud suppressed voter turnout among Republican voters and helped cost his party Georga’s two U.S. Senate seats, as well as GOP control of the Senate, according to Georgia’s Republican secretary of state.
Trump has already made substantial headway in endorsing candidates across the country who are willing to embrace his rhetoric about election fraud. A Trump-imposed litmus test on the validity of the 2020 election would solidify his grip on the party as he toys with the idea of running for president again. It would also create headaches for Republicans seeking to keep media attention on the Biden administration.
Already, some top Republican lawmakers are bending the knee. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House GOP leader, for example, refused over the weekend to say the 2020 election result was legitimate.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who is helping lead the Jan. 6 House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, criticized Scalise afterward. The Wyoming lawmaker is one of the last few remaining elected Republicans willing to speak out against Trump.
“Millions of Americans have been sold a fraud that the election was stolen. Republicans have a duty to tell the American people that this is not true,” Cheney tweeted. “Perpetuating the Big Lie is an attack on the core of our constitutional republic.”
The Democratic National Committee similarly called on GOP leaders in the House and Senate ― including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to rebut Trump’s lies about the election.
“[T]his is what happens when Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy bend over backwards to indulge his dangerous lies, failed leadership, and complete incompetence,” DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement. “Republicans can’t have it both ways — they can’t kiss Donald Trump’s ring and then also refuse to answer for his most egregious lies that led to the violent January 6 assault on the Capitol and continue to undermine our democracy.”
A sign calling for ending gerrymandering at a Fair Maps rally in Washington, DC, 2019. (photo: Sarah L. Voisin/WP/Getty Images)
An updating tracker of proposed congressional maps — and whether they might benefit Democrats or Republicans in the 2022 midterms and beyond.
A few other states also appear to be close to finalizing their congressional maps. Colorado’s new independent commission has settled on a map to submit to the state Supreme Court; the map would add a competitive, slightly GOP-leaning district with the seat Colorado gained in reapportionment. And the Arkansas legislature just approved a map to send to the governor. (Both plans, though, still require final sign-off before they become official.) In addition, a map that would essentially lock in 24 Republican seats and 13 Democratic seats — leaving just one competitive district — has passed the state Senate in Texas. Though the map is heavily biased toward Republicans and Democrats have complained it does not create enough majority-minority districts, some version of it is likely to soon become law in the Lone Star State.
On the flip side, the Iowa state Senate voted to reject the first proposed map drawn by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, sending it back to the drawing board. Iowa is one of a handful of states that have nonpartisan advisory redistricting commissions but where the ultimate redistricting authority still lies with politicians. Indeed, one of the biggest questions of this redistricting cycle is whether those politicians will ignore their commissions and draw their own maps. Similar advisory commissions in Maryland and New York have released proposed maps as well, but they are also expected to get the thumbs down.
Visit FiveThirtyEight for current tracker listings!
Container vessels are anchored outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Wednesday as they wait to unload their cargo. (photo: Carolyn Cole/LA Times)
The supply chain nightmare is jacking up prices for consumers and slowing the global economic recovery. Unfortunately, Moody's Analytics warns supply chain disruptions "will get worse before they get better."
"As the global economic recovery continues to gather steam, what is increasingly apparent is how it will be stymied by supply-chain disruptions that are now showing up at every corner," Moody's wrote in a Monday report.
Indeed, the IMF downgraded its 2021 US growth forecast on Tuesday by one percentage point, the most for any G7 economy. The IMF cited supply chain disruptions and weakening consumption — which itself has been partially driven by supply chain bottlenecks such as a lack of new cars amid the computer chip shortage.
"Border controls and mobility restrictions, unavailability of a global vaccine pass, and pent-up demand from being stuck at home have combined for a perfect storm where global production will be hampered because deliveries are not made in time, costs and prices will rise and GDP growth worldwide will not be as robust as a result," Moody's wrote in the report.
Moody's said the "weakest link" may be the shortage of truck drivers — an issue that has contributed to congestion at ports and caused gas stations in the United Kingdom to run dry. Unfortunately, Moody's warned there are "dark clouds ahead" because several factors make overcoming the supply constraints particularly challenging.
First, the firm pointed to differences in how countries are fighting Covid, with China aiming for zero cases while the United States is "more willing to live with Covid-19 as an endemic disease."
"This presents a serious challenge to harmonizing the rules and regulations by which transport workers move in and out of ports and hubs around the world," the analysts wrote.
Secondly, Moody's cited the lack of a "concerted global effort to ensure the smooth operation" of the worldwide logistics and transportation network.
Others are much more optimistic on the supply chain outlook.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Monday that these supply chain hiccups will fade quickly.
"This will not be an issue next year at all," Dimon said during a conference held by the Institute of International Finance, CNBC reported. "This is the worst part of it. I think great market systems will adjust for it like companies have."
The Lebanese army evacuated people from the Tayouneh-Badaro area as the gunfire erupted. (photo: Reuters)
Five people have been shot dead at a protest in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, against the judge investigating last year's devastating port explosion.
They said snipers on rooftops attacked them to drag the country into strife.
Huge tension surrounds the probe into the port blast, with Hezbollah accusing the judge of unfairly singling out allied former government ministers.
What began as a protest against Judge Bitar outside the Palace of Justice, with chanting and marching, escalated significantly, reports the BBC's Anna Foster in Beirut.
Heavy, rolling gunfire erupted in the streets as the crowd passed through a roundabout in the central Tayouneh-Badaro area.
Our correspondent says there were very loud explosions as the Lebanese army moved into position and tried to work out where the shots were coming from. But, she adds, there was such a level of confusion that nobody knew for sure who was firing at whom.
Hospital and military sources said the dead included two men who were shot in the head and the chest, as well as a woman who was hit by a stray bullet while inside her home.
Bullets also landed near a local school, forcing students to duck for cover under their desks.
Hezbollah and Amal said in a joint statement that the protesters were targeted by "snipers positioned on the roofs of buildings".
"This attack by armed and organised groups aims to drag the country into a deliberate strife, the responsibility of which must be borne by the instigators and the parties that hide behind the blood of the victims and martyrs of the port in order to achieve malicious political gains," they added.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on everyone to "calm down and not be drawn into sedition for any reason whatsoever".
The army said it had deployed troops to restore calm and search for the assailants, and warned that they would "shoot at any gunman on the roads and at anyone who shoots from any direction".
Earlier on Thursday, a court dismissed a legal complaint brought by two of the former ministers whom Judge Bitar has sought to question in connection with the port explosion.
Relatives of the victims and activists had condemned the complaint, which caused the investigation to be suspended for the second time in three weeks.
No-one has been held accountable for the August 2020 disaster, in which killed 219 people were killed and 7,000 others were wounded.
A fire triggered the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a combustible chemical widely used as agricultural fertiliser, that had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse for almost six years.
Senior officials were aware of the material's existence and the danger it posed but failed to secure, remove or destroy it.
Victims' families have expressed their support for Judge Bitar and alleged that the country's political leadership is trying to shield itself from scrutiny.
The pigs were introduced to the Canadian Prairies in the 1990s by farmers, but have proved impossible to control once they escape the confines of a farm. (photo: Rebecca Santana/AP)
Wild pigs seen in Alberta’s Elk Island national park, raising fears they will cause damage to sensitive ecosystems
Parks Canada has confirmed that wild pigs – a hybrid of domestic pigs and European wild boar – have been spotted in Alberta’s Elk Island national park.
“Public sightings and video sightings provided by landowners confirm that there is at least one sounder [a sow and piglets] in the region that is known to periodically come into the park,” a Parks Canada spokesperson, Janelle Verbruggen, told the Canadian Press.
Elk Island, a fenced-in park 40km (25 miles) east of Edmonton, is home to one of the country’s largest wild bison herds.
The pigs – which can weigh more than 300lb and move in groups called “sounders” – are voracious eaters of roots, bulbs, tubers, bird eggs and small amphibians. They destroy wetlands and contaminate water sources.
“Wild pigs are the worst invasive wild mammal on the planet,” said Ryan Brook, head of the University of Saskatchewan’s Canadian Wild Pig Research Project. “They’re a global menace.”
In Elk Island, where bison herds coexist with elk and deer, Brook said the hogs could upend the delicate balance of the park. Both the grasses the ungulates graze on and the wetlands used by bison, could be destroyed.
“They just rip through the ground, pulling up insect larvae and roots. They just tear everything apart so that it has a harder time growing back. They get into wetlands and they wallow around and they contaminate the water. They just do tremendous destruction,” he said.
The US Department of Agriculture estimates feral hogs cause more than $1.5bn in damage nationwide every year.
Verbruggen said the Alberta government is working with Parks Canada to prevent the hogs from establishing a permanent presence in the area.
The pigs were introduced to Canada’s Prairies in the 1990s by farmers, but have proved impossible to control once they escape the confines of a farm.
Hogs are “extremely smart and elusive”, according to the the Canadian Wild Pig Research Project.
Ryan Brook, who heads up the project at the University of Saskatchewan, told the Canadian Press that while Elk Island is the first to have feral pigs, he suspects Prince Albert national park in Saskatchewan will probably be next.
Experts say trapping is the best method to deal with the hogs – but an entire sounder must be trapped at once, or else the pigs will startle easily and disperse quickly.
While hunting has become an increasingly popular option in the United States – and one that went viral on social media after one farmer asked how he should handle “30-50 feral hogs” suddenly appearing on his property – experts say firearms spook the animals and often make the problem worse.
“While we fully support hunters and hunting, we also acknowledge that nowhere on Earth has hunting ever successfully controlled wild pig populations,” wrote Brook.
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