Month: May 2022

A fire on Sunday inside the headquarters of anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action was being investigated as arson, after someone had spray-painted a message outside the building. Madison, Wisconsin police spokeswoman Stephanie Fryer told the Wisconsin State Journal that the fire reported shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday in Madison was suspicious in nature. Federal officials and the Madison Fire Department are helping with the investigation.

Officials were still working to determine how much damage the fire caused, and confirmed no one was injured. Investigators found the remnants of at least one Molotov cocktail and it wasn’t immediately clear who vandalized the building, but the message “If abortions aren’t safe than you aren’t either” was spray-painted on the building. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said in a statement: “It appears a specific non-profit that supports anti-abortion measures was targeted.”

The president of the lobbying group, Julaine Appling, said she considers the fire a “direct threat against us” given that it happened just a few days after a draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion was leaked suggesting the court may soon overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in this country.  Appling said: “This is the local manifestation of the anger and the lack of tolerance from the pro-abortion people toward those of us who are pro-life. We will repair our offices, remain on the job, and build an even stronger grassroots effort. We will not back down. We will not stop doing what we are doing. Too much is at stake.”

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The United States announced new sanctions on Russia after President Joe Biden met with the leaders of the Group of Seven and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. The White House said that the United States will sanction three of Russia’s most-viewed television stations controlled by the Kremlin — including Russia-1, Channel One Russia and NTV. Western companies were among the top advertisers at the stations last year.

The White House said in a statement: “Our unprecedented sanctions are already exacting an immense toll on Russia’s economy and our export controls have strangled Russia’s access to critical technology and the supply chains it needs to sustain its military ambitions. Putin’s war is projected to wipe out the last 15 years of economic gains in Russia. As a result of our export controls, Russia is struggling to replenish its military weapons and equipment.”

The U.S. will also now prohibit U.S. citizens from providing certain business services such as accounting and corporate formation or management consulting to anyone inside Russia.  The White House said: “These services are key to Russian companies and elites building wealth, thereby generating revenue for Putin’s war machine, and to trying to hide that wealth and evade sanction. This action builds on previous prohibitions to restrict the export of goods related to aerospace, marine, electronics, technology, and defense and related materiel sectors of the Russian economy.”

The entire G7 — which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain — has now pledged to phase out and ban the import of Russian oil, which the United States has already done. The White House said it would also impose new rules to restrict Russia’s industrial sector, including controls on such things as industrial engines and bulldozers.  In its statement, the White House said: “These new controls will further limit Russia’s access to items and revenue that could support its military capabilities.”

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On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that Karine Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki as White House press secretary later this month.  Said Biden of Psaki: “Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House briefing room. I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so. I thank Jen her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”

Biden said of Jean-Pierre: “Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this administration.”

Jean-Pierre is currently the White House’s principal deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to Biden; she previously worked as the chief of staff for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. Jean-Pierre will also notably become the first Black and openly LGBTQ White House press secretary in history.

Psaki has served as the top spokeswoman of the administration since Biden’s inauguration; she is expected to depart the White House on May 13. The announcement comes after rumors that Psaki was in talks for a job with MSNBC.

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President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for New Mexico due to a wildfire that’s been burning for weeks in the northern part of the state. Fire officials say the The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire is just 20% contained, but has burned more than 160,000 acres. The blaze began about a month ago and is the result of two wildfires merging into one. The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire is the largest presently burning in the United States.

Biden’s approval of the federal disaster declaration makes federal funds available for thousands of people affected in New Mexico’s Colfax, Lincoln, Mora, San Miguel and Valencia counties. The White House said the assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. It also includes other programs to help people and businesses recover.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement: “New Mexicans cannot wait for these fires to be extinguished to receive relief. That’s why I expedited the state’s request for emergency aid for individuals, and I’m grateful to President Biden for recognizing the urgency of the situation in our state.”

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Reports reveal that Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s oldest son, voluntarily testified on Tuesday before the Jan. 6 select committee investigating last year’s attack on the Capitol. Trump Jr. reportedly appeared by videoconference for two hours, and according to multiple sources, the outcome was ‘uneventful.’

Last month it was reported that Trump Jr. was expected to appear before the committee as it wraps up its investigatory phase and prepares for at least eight public hearings next month. Sources say that Trump Jr.’s text messages are among those that former chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the committee.

The president’s oldest son was the latest member of the Trump family to meet with the committee; daughter Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner — both of whom served as senior White House advisers to former President Donald Trump– were also interviewed in recent weeks.  In addition, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle has also met with the committee twice. Sources said those interviewes focused in part on the fundraising efforts around Trump’s “Save America” rally on Jan. 6, 2021.

To date, the Jan. 6 panel has conducted interviews with more than 800 witnesses since beginning its investigation.

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As authorities entered the sixth day of the search on Wednesday for Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicki White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, the local sheriff in charge of the investigation in Alabama said it is believed that the corrections officer “willingly” participated in the escape of the capital murder suspect, who remain on the run as of press time.

The pair — who authorities said are not related — went missing from Florence, Alabama, last Friday. That morning at the Lauderdale County Detention Center, Vicki White allegedly told her colleagues she was taking Casey White to the local courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” though he didn’t have a court appearance scheduled. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said in an interview: “The pieces of the puzzle just came together. I think all of our employees and myself included were really hoping that she did not participate in this willingly. But all indications are that she absolutely did. We’re very disappointed in that because we had the utmost trust in her as an employee and as an assistant director of corrections.”

Casey White was charged with two counts of capital murder in September 2020 for the stabbing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway. He could face the death penalty if convicted, according to the sheriff.  He was already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree that involved home invasion, carjacking and a police chase. Casey White previously planned an escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in the fall of 2020, but authorities thwarted the plot before he could attempt it. He was subsequently transferred to a state prison, where he remained until February 2022, when he returned to the Lauderdale County facility for court appearances related to the murder charge.  Investigators have since learned that Casey White and Vicki White had a “special relationship” and were communicating after he was transferred from the county jail to state custody.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the pair “should be considered dangerous and may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun,” and may be driving a 2007 orange or copper Ford Edge with minor damage to the left back bumper. Casey White is 6 feet, 9 inches tall. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey White’s capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White.

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