Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Wake-Up Call: TWH To Release More Information 'As It Sees Fit'


The White House brushed aside criticism Tuesday of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden’s home and former office, saying it may withhold information to protect the Justice Department’s investigation. Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters that the White House was releasing information as it deemed it “appropriate.” Responding to criticism of the piecemeal disclosures, Sams said the White House was trying to be mindful of the “risk” in sharing information “that’s not complete.” “We’re endeavoring to be as transparent and informative to you all in the media, to the public as we can consistent with respecting the integrity of an ongoing Justice Department investigation,” he said.

The discovery of the documents in Biden’s possession complicates a federal probe into former President Donald Trump, who the Justice Department says took hundreds of records marked classified with him upon leaving the White House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government.

➤BIDEN LAWYER HAS TALKED WITH DOJ: Joe Biden's personal attorney - who found classified material inside Biden's Washington DC think tank - has already spoken to federal prosecutors, reports say. Patrick Moore was reportedly asked to clear out Biden's office in November and found the documents. Moore then informed the National Archives and Justice Department. On Tuesday it emerged that Moore has already spoken to John Lausch, the U.S. Attorney for the northern district of Illinois. Lausch was initially tasked with investigating the classified material; his job has now been taken over by the special counsel, Robert Hur, who was appointed on January 12.  

Also, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Tuesday she has been 'forthcoming' as she was grilled about the classified documents found in Joe Biden's possession - but she repeatedly referred questions to other federal entities. She argued the president has been answering questions on the matter - on the same day he sat, smiling in silence, as he ignored inquiries being asked by the press. In an Oval Office meeting with Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Biden smirked as shouting reporters were led from the room.

➤UKRAINE CLOSER TO GETTING MODERN TANKS: Ukraine is a step closer to winning approval for German-made modern battle tanks to confront invading Russian forces and has secured a pledge of more Patriot defense missiles as its allies appear ready to rally for the next phase of the war. Germany's Leopard 2 tank, operated by armies in about 20 countries, is regarded as one of the West's best. The tank weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120mm smoothbore gun and can hit targets at a distance of up to five km. Ukraine, which has relied mainly on Soviet-era T-72 tank variants, says the new tanks would give its ground troops more mobility and protection ahead of a broadly expected fresh Russian offensive as well as help re-take some of its territory. Germany has been the West's biggest holdout on pledging tanks but a cabinet minister said on Tuesday the issue would be the first to be decided by new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

➤DEAF WOMAN AWARDED PAYOUT OVER MASK MANDATE:  A 26-year-old woman has won a $180,000 payout after suing a Minnesota hospital for denying her a job because she is deaf. Kaylah Vogt reached a consent decree at the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Thursday. It means North Memorial Health made no admission of wrongdoing but agreed to make the payout and other actions addressed in the suit. Vogt claimed she had applied to be a greeter at the health care system's hospital in Robbinsdale but, despite being qualified, was refused the job because pandemic masking rules meant she would struggle to lip-read while working, because of COVID masking rules. 

➤U.S. WON'T SEEK DEATH PENALTY FOR ALLEGED TEXAS WALMART GUNMAN:  Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting nearly two dozen people in a racist attack at a West Texas Walmart in 2019. According to The Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice disclosed the decision not to pursue capital punishment against Patrick Crusius in a one-sentence notice filed Tuesday with the federal court in El Paso. Crusius, 24, is accused of targeting Mexicans during the Aug. 3 massacre that killed 23 people and left dozens wounded. The Dallas-area native is charged with federal hate crimes and firearms violations, as well as capital murder in state court. He has pleaded not guilty.

➤SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY DMed VICTIM IN OCTOBER: An Instagram account that belonged to Kohberger repeatedly sent Instagram messages to one of the college students found dead — but she never returned his advances, an investigator close to the case told PEOPLE. “He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” the anonymous source said. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.” The message were reportedly sent in October. 

University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found stabbed to death in their off-campus house on Nov. 13. The source did not disclose which of the girls Kohberger messaged. The suspect followed accounts for all three girls on the social media platform. The messages from Kohberger’s account were sent around the same time that detectives claim the suSpect was stalking the victims. His cellphone data pinged in the same location as the four students in the weeks before the murders.

➤MICROSOFT LAY-OFFS PENDING: Microsoft plans to cut thousands of jobs with some roles expected to be eliminated in human resources and engineering divisions, according to media reports on Tuesday. The expected layoffs would be the latest in the US technology sector, where companies including Amazon and Meta Platforms have announced retrenchment exercises in response to slowing demand and a worsening global economic outlook. Microsoft’s move could indicate that the tech sector may continue to shed jobs. “From a big picture perspective, another pending round of layoffs at Microsoft suggests the environment is not improving, and likely continues to worsen,” Morningstar analyst Dan Romanoff said. UK broadcaster Sky News reported, citing sources, that Microsoft plans to cut about 5% of its workforce, or about 11,000 roles.

➤POLAR BEAR FATALLY MAULS WOMAN AND BOY IN NORTHWEST ALASKA VILLAGE: A polar bear killed a woman and boy Tuesday afternoon in the Northwest Alaska community of Wales. As the pair was being attacked, another Wales resident shot and killed the bear. The two people who were killed in the mauling weren’t identified.

➤TEEN GIRL BLASTS YMCA TRANS POLICY AFTER ENCOUNTERING NAKED MAN IN WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM: A female minor is speaking out against the YMCA’s transgender inclusion policy after she encountered a naked man while showering in the women’s locker room at a San Diego location. Earlier this month, 17-year-old Rebecca Phillips was showering at the Santee facility after her swim workout when she noticed a naked man in the women’s locker room. Phillips immediately went back into the shower terrified and hid behind the curtain until he was gone. Phillips then ran into the bathroom stall to quickly change before confronting the people at the front desk about the situation.

➤A LOSING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN NEW MEXICO IS CHARGED OVER SHOOTINGS AT HOMES OF DEMOCRATS: Solomon Peña, who unsuccessfully ran for a state House seat in New Mexico as a Republican last November, was arrested Monday in Albuquerque for allegedly paying four men to shoot at the homes of four elected officials. Police said Peña paid $500 and also took part in one shooting himself.

➤EX-PORN STAR RULE 'INCOMPETENT' TO STAND TRIAL: Former porn star Ron Jeremy may never face trial on the over 30 counts of sexual assault he faces, after a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday ruled him unfit to stand trial due to “incurable neurocognitive decline.” Prosecutors have requested that he be periodically evaluated to see if his condition changes and he becomes capable of being tried. A hearing will be held in February to determine if Jeremy should be placed in a state hospital. Jeremy was not present for the hearing. Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Hyatt, has been in custody since June 2020, when he was charged with the first of what became the more than 30 counts of sexual assault involving more than 20 victims in incidents said to go back to at least the 1990s.

➤KRISTIN CHENOWETH SAYS SHE REGRETS NOT TAKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CBS FOR ‘THE GOOD WIFE’ ON-SET INJURY: Kristin Chenoweth opened up about the injury that nearly killed her on the set of The Good Wife in 2012 on a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live. “I heard, like, a flagpole sound. I literally heard, ‘We’re losing the light.’ I heard, ‘Action.’ And I woke up at Bellevue [Hospital]. It hit me in the face and it threw me into a curb. Seven-inch skull fracture, hairline [fracture], and teeth and ribs,” she said. “My hair extensions, you know, made the hairline fracture go together. My doctor said, ‘What are these metal things?’ And I said, ‘They’re hair extensions.’ And he said, ‘They saved your life.'” The Holidate actress added that she regrets not taking legal action against the network. “I didn’t do it out of fear and anxiety, so don’t ever let fear rule your life. I have long-standing injuries from that. I wished I had listened to my dad, who said, ‘You’re gonna wanna do this.’ And we’re not the suing family, but when you’re practically killed…,” she said.

✞WORLD'S OLDEST KNOWN PERSON DIES AT AGE 118: Lucile Randon, a French nun who was the oldest known person on Earth, died at age 118 on Tuesday following a long life that began before the first World War and that Randon credited to a daily glass of wine. Randon died in her sleep at the nursing home in Toulon, France, where she spent the final years of her life.

➤FASTEST CORVETTE EVER IS ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE GAS-ELECTRIC HYBRID: The fastest Corvette ever made will come out later this year. The E-Ray is a gas electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of Chevrolet’s storied sports car. The $104,000 E-Ray goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and General Motors says it can cover a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.

➤POLICE REPORT LISTS EXCESSIVE SPEED AS A CAUSE IN FATAL UGA CRASH: A police report released Tuesday listed excessive speed on a road with a 40 mph limit as one of the primary causes of the crash. Georgia football player Devin Willock was not wearing a seat belt when he was ejected from the vehicle in a weekend crash that killed him and a recruiting staff member, police said.

🏈TITANS HIRING 49ERS RAN CARTHON AS GM: The Titans are hiring Ran Carthon, the San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel, as their new general manager. Carthon interviewed for the job on Friday with a panel of Titans executives, including controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk. He brings 15 years of experience to the Titans.

🏈COWBOYS STICK WITH KICKER BRETT MAHER, EXPECT REBOUND VS 49ERS: The Dallas Cowboys will go into the divisional round of the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers with kicker Brett Maher. Maher became the first player in any NFL game since 1932, a span of 16,207 regular-season and playoff contests, to miss four extra point attempts.


➤INVESTIGATORS: DARIUS MILES PROVIDED GUN IN FATAL SHOOTING: Investigators said that a now-former University of Alabama basketball player charged with capital murder provided the gun used in the fatal shooting but that another man fired the weapon.  Investigators wrote in a court document that Darius Miles admitted to providing the handgun immediately before the shooting. Another man is accused by police of firing the gun and killing a young woman near the university's campus, according to court documents filed in Tuscaloosa.

🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Milwaukee Bucks 130 Toronto Raptors 122
  • San Antonio Spurs 106 Brooklyn Nets 98
  • Denver Nuggets 122 Portland Trail Blazers 113
  • Philadelphia 76ers 120 vs Los Angeles Clippers 110





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