We Now Know Which Files Trump Is Trying to Hide from the Jan. 6 Committee

October 30, 2021

Overnight a court filing from the National Archives revealed which documents former President Donald Trump is trying to hide from the Jan. 6 select committee, including his daily presidential diaries, schedules, activity and call logs, draft speeches, as well as files from top White House staffers.

“These records all relate to the events on or about Jan. 6, and may assist the Select Committee’s investigation into that day, including what was occurring at the White House immediately before, during and after the Jan. 6 attack,” Justice Department lawyers wrote in the court filing submitted late Friday night on behalf of the National Archives.

Trump has been trying to block the committee from obtaining 750 pages of documents out of almost 1,600 that have been identified as relevant to the investigation. The documents that Trump wants to keep hidden include:

• Thirty pages of “daily presidential diaries, schedules, appointment information showing visitors to the White House, activity logs, call logs and switchboard shift-change checklists showing calls to the president and vice-president, all specifically for or encompassing [Jan. 6]”
• Thirteen pages of “drafts of speeches, remarks, and correspondence concerning the events of [Jan. 6]”
• “Three handwritten notes concerning the events of [Jan. 6] from [former White House chief of staff Mark] Meadows’ files … listing potential or scheduled briefings and telephone calls concerning the [Jan. 6] certification and other election issues”
• Binders of talking points from former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany “principally relating to allegations of voter fraud, election security, and other topics concerning the 2020 election”
• “Draft text of a presidential speech for the [Jan. 6] Save America March”
• “A handwritten list of potential or scheduled briefings and telephone calls concerning election issues”
• “A draft Executive Order concerning election integrity”
• “A draft proclamation honoring deceased Capitol Police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood”
• “Associated e-mails from the Office of the Executive Clerk, which relate to the select committee’s interest in the White House’s response to the Capitol attack”

The filing states that the National Archives searched first for relevant documents in paper records because it wasn’t until August that they received electronic records from the Trump White House. There are another outstanding “several hundred thousand potentially responsive records” that may also be relevant to the investigation that they are still working their way through.

Trump has sued to block the release of these documents by claiming executive privilege, and this court filing is in response to that suit. Biden officially rejected Trump’s executive privilege request to keep the documents secret earlier this month.

Even more news in the Jan. 6 saga broke Friday night when it was revealed that during the attack on the Capitol, Trump’s lawyer, John Eastman, emailed an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence to blame Pence for the violence that was unfolding, The Washington Post reported.

“The ‘siege’ is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this [election challenge] to be aired in a public way so that the American people can see for themselves what happened,” Eastman wrote to Pence aide, Greg Jacob, who quoted the Trump attorney’s email in an unpublished op-ed obtained by The Post.

Eastman also emailed Jacob after Congress reconvened following the riot to tell him that Pence should not certify the election results because he violated a technicality in the Electoral College Act related to how much time lawmakers could use for speeches. Pence had cited the act as justification for not sending electors back to their states.

“My point was they had already violated the electoral count act by allowing debate to extend past the allotted two hours, and by not reconvening ‘immediately’ in joint session after the vote in the objection,” Eastman told The Post. “It seemed that had already set the precedent that it was not an impediment.”

According to a separate report from The Post this past Tuesday, the select committee is planning to subpoena Eastman unless he voluntarily cooperates with their investigation.

Current, former Tesla board members cash in on stock rally

By Hyunjoo Jin, Nivedita Balu

BANGALORE/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla Inc board member Ira Ehrenpreis sold shares of the electric carmaker worth more than $200 million on Wednesday, after the stock crossed the $1,000 mark for the first time to hit a record, according to filings.

Antonio Gracias, a former Tesla board member whose term expired earlier this month, also filed his planned sale of $610 million worth of shares on the same day, filings showed.

Tesla became the fifth company to hit the trillion-dollar benchmark on Monday following a deal with rental car company Hertz and after it recorded its best quarterly revenue and profits.

Independent director Ehrenpreis exercised options to buy 370,000 shares at about $50 each on Wednesday before their expiration in June next year, filings with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission showed.

The venture capitalist who has been a member of the Tesla board since May 2007 then sold 203,429 shares for as high as $1,068.38 a pop. The shares are worth about $214 million, according to Reuters’ calculation.

Gracias, chief executive officer of private equity firm Valor, also filed plans to sell 338,493 shares worth $351 million and an additional 250,000 shares worth $259 million he holds indirectly via AJG Growth Fund, the filings showed.

He had been a member of the board since May 2007 before his term expired in October. Known as a close friend of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, he is a director of SpaceX and was a director of SolarCity until its acquisition by Tesla in 2016.

Current and ex-board members including Musk stand to reap windfall gains from Tesla’s stock rallies, with a large number of stocks and stock options.

Almost 30 LGBT+ Afghans resettled in the UK following brutal Taliban takeover

PATRICK KELLEHER OCTOBER 30, 2021

PinkNews UK

Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal and their victory in the Afghan conflict on US in Afghanistan. 

(NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP via Getty)

A group of LGBT+ Afghans have been evacuated from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and resettled in the UK as part of a government initiative.

Human rights groups have expressed significant concern for the safety and wellbeing of LGBT+ people in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban seized power in August. Activists have been calling on governments across the world to help bring LGBT+ Afghans to safety.

Some 29 LGBT+ Afghans have now been evacuated from the country and relocated to the UK following interventions from the Foreign Office, LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall and asylum group Rainbow Railroad.

The group of 29 LGBT+ Afghans arrived into the UK on Friday (29 October), according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The department said the group of LGBT+ Afghans will be the first of many who will be welcomed to the UK where they can start a new life free from Taliban rule.

Students and activists who have stood up for LGBT+ rights in Afghanistan are among those who were evacuated.

“Britain is a fierce champion of freedom and the right of all people to be themselves and love who they want free from persecution,” foreign secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

“We played a key role getting these people out and will continue to do all we can to help at-risk Afghans leave the country.”

Evacuation of LGBT+ people from Afghanistan is just beginning, activists say

Kimahli Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, said they have been working tirelessly since the fall of Kabul to relocate LGBT+ Afghans to safer territories.

“Rainbow Railroad is thankful for the strong advocacy of Stonewall UK and for the UK government, which helped facilitate the arrival of these LGBTQI+ persons. This is just the beginning of our efforts to help hundreds of LGBTQI+ individuals we are supporting in Afghanistan relocate to safety.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the UK government and other governments ready to follow their lead to help Afghans at risk.”

Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall, said the group was “proud” that their campaigning had resulted in the first group of LGBT+ Afghans being relocated to the UK.

“However, our work is not yet done,” she said. “We will continue advocating for international support for LGBTQ+ Afghans, including those that remain in Afghanistan, and we will also continue to work with the UK government to ensure that the LGBTQ+ Afghans who arrive in the UK are given the support they need to thrive.”

Numerous LGBT+ Afghans have shared their experiences living under Taliban rule since the extremist militant group seized power in August.

One gay man called Sohil told PinkNews that he was burned with scalding hot water by a Taliban member when he went to a government office in a bid to get a passport.

“We don’t know if we will be alive tomorrow or not,” Sohil said. “I think the whole world doesn’t think about that. I think our own LGBT+ community doesn’t think about that. In two months, no one contacted me… I had a hope that our LGBT+ community will help us but day by day, I am losing my hope.

“I don’t know what to do. I hoped that our LGBT+ community will help us, but there is no one standing for us. I used to stand for my guys in Afghanistan, now I want them to stand for us.”

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot dance to The Rolling Stones
Brittany A. Roston - Oct 29, 2021, 7:15pm CDT


Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is back with another dance number, this time showing off its agility and stability by dancing along to The Rolling Stones. Spot is showcased side-by-side with Mick Jagger as it mirrors his every dance move, including rapidly moving its head side to side, walking with a sassy countenance, and even lip-syncing its “mouth” to the lyrics. The new video joins previous dance numbers from Boston Dynamics, including the last year’s massive celebration involving all of its robots.

The new video, which Boston Dynamics has cheekily named “Spot Me Up,” features multiple units of its dog-like Spot robots — including, amusingly enough, one behind a drumset. Spot’s serpentine appendage has never seemed more creepy and snake-like than it does in this video, lending a sort of uncanny valley effect to the entire performance.



The appendage is technically more of an “arm” than it is a head, though it’s impossible to perceive it as anything other than a long, nimble neck with an almost insect-like mouth on the end. We’ve previously seen Spot perform more rudimentary tasks like opening a door on its own, including twisting the handle, as well as some amusing displays like Boston Dynamics’ engineers repeatedly attempting to kick it to the ground.

Spot has come a very long way over the past several years, transforming from the big, blocky robot Boston Dynamics unveiled in 2015 into the slim, lifelike robot we see today. The company has also demonstrated its other robots and their advancements over the years, including its humanoid Atlas transforming from a clunky machine with a bundle of tethers into a sleek machine with a parkour hobby.

Boston Dynamics have many different usage scenarios in mind for its robotic dog, including everything from enterprise applications to helping farmers herd sheep. Though the machine’s capabilities are beyond impressive, the videos are also a tad creepy as they tease a future in which machines may surpass human capabilities in even the most mundane activities like dancing.

Story Timeline
Hyundai now controls Boston Dynamics and its clever/creepy robots
BTS' dance moves look a lot creepier when it's Boston Dynamics' robots doing them
Boston Dynamics' latest robot parkour demo is more than just bragging

Protests hit Italy after Senate kills bill broadening LGBT community’s rights

29 Oct, 2021 

Demonstrators took to the streets in Rome and Milan, following Italy’s Senate vote on an anti-homophobia bill. It proposed to equate anti-LGBT discrimination with racism, and raise sex orientation and gender topics at schools.

The controversial document, known as the ‘Zan bill’ after its initiator, Italy’s center-left MP and LGBT rights activist Alessandro Zan, was rejected by 154 votes in the Senate on Wednesday, while 131 members voted in favor. First introduced in the lower house of parliament in May 2018, it passed the House of Representatives last year in November, but faced challenges in the Senate. Parliament will now be unable to reopen discussions on the proposed law for the next six months, which leaves little time for it to be approved at all before the legislation expires. “The bill is dead,” senator Dario Parrini told Reuters.

If the EU doesn’t hammer Italy for rejecting gay hate crime bill, it’ll prove it’s one rule for the West & one rule for the rest

“They talked about us for two years and then as if nothing had happened they threw us in the bin,” a protester in the streets of Rome told RT’s video agency Ruptly on Thursday. “But it is always better than having to accept a watered-down text,” she added.

With the bill having sparked heated arguments between liberals and conservatives, its opponents suggested amendments to the initial document. Italy’s Lega Nord leader and former interior minister Matteo Salvini said the pro-bill politicians’ refusal to dialogue turned the legislation into “years of useless discussions.” Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Labor Minister Andrea Orlando called the Senate’s decision a “disgrace.”

“We understood that there was a scam,” a protester in the Italian capital told Ruptly, adding that her companions will “fight to get to our rights.”

If passed, the bill would have added new categories to Italy’s penal code section that specifically outlaws hate crimes and discrimination. The current ‘Mancino law’ from 1993 provides for punishment of discrimination acts on racial, ethnic, national and religious grounds. The new bill would have added acts of discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex and disability to the list of offences legally punishable with prison sentences and fines.

“Three years ago I was attacked in broad daylight because of my hair color. I spent a month in hospital, it was a brutal homophobic act,” the bill’s supporter in Milan told Ruptly, adding that Italian forces decrying such acts of violence don’t get enough support from other political parties.

Largely seen as a bill aiming to fight homophobia and legally ban anti-LGBT violence, the legislation has also been criticized for its apparent interference with freedom of expression, and possible gay propaganda in Catholic schools.

Proposing to raise awareness of sex and gender related issues within public institutions, including ones for minors, and officially recognize the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, the bill became especially unpopular with right-wing politicians and the Vatican. The latter even lodged a formal diplomatic complaint against it, suggesting it might breach the freedom of thought of Catholics, and provide for prosecution of those who express opinions in favor of traditional heterosexual families

Beijing dismisses ‘unscientific’ report on Covid-19 origins by US intelligence community
30 Oct, 2021 

FILE PHOTO. World Health Organization (WHO) investigators arrive at Wuhan Institute of Virology. ©REUTERS / Thomas Peter

The US is using “intelligence apparatus instead of scientists” to determine the origins of Covid-19, undermining genuine research, Beijing said in response to the declassification of an ODNI report.

On Friday, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its assessment of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have first infected humans. It said the origins of Covid-19 may never be established fully, and that US intelligence found both natural transmission from animals to humans, as well as a lab leak incident, plausible.

Responding to the release, the Chinese Embassy in Washington once again questioned the US government’s use of “intelligence apparatus instead of scientists” in Covid-19 research.

“No matter how many times it is updated, the so-called ‘assessment on Covid-19 origins’ issued by the US intelligence community is not scientific at all,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said. “It will only undermine science-based origins study and hinder the global effort of finding the source of the virus.”

ALSO ON RT.COM   US report on Covid-19 origins finds intelligence community ‘divided’ between lab leak and animal exposure theories

The report issued on Friday updates a 90-day review that was released in August, ordered by President Joe Biden. It says the global scientific community “lacks clinical samples or a complete understanding of epidemiological data from the earliest Covid-19 cases,” and accused China of hindering investigations into the origins of the disease, while blaming other countries, including the US.

The embassy countered by saying that Washington “has been refusing to respond to the international community’s reasonable doubts on the Fort Detrick biolab and the over 200 overseas bases for biological experiments” conducted there.

“We have been supporting science-based efforts on origins tracing, and will continue to stay actively engaged. That said, we firmly oppose attempts to politicize this issue,” the statement said.

The origins of Covid-19 became a highly political issue under the previous administration of Donald Trump, which accused Beijing of covering up the early stages of the pandemic and claimed that it may have started with a leak at a government bioresearch facility. Beijing said the US was simply trying to shift the blame for its disastrous response to Covid-19.

The ODNI assessment describes the theory that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology “may have unwittingly exposed themselves to the virus without sequencing it during experiments or sampling activities, possibly resulting in asymptomatic or mild infection.” However, the US has so far found no evidence that the lab had worked with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or a close progenitor virus.

Putin lashes out at G20 over vaccines


Issued on: 30/10/2021 - 

Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the G20 meetng via videoconference 

Evgeny PAULIN SPUTNIK/AFP


Rome (AFP)

Russia complained Saturday about lack of international recognition for its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine at a G20 summit, where leaders agreed to step up global inoculation efforts.

"Despite the decisions of the G20, not all countries in need can have access to anti-Covid vaccines," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in video message comments to counterparts that were retransmitted on Russian state television.

"This happens mainly because of dishonest competition, protectionism and because some states, especially those of the G20, are not ready for mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccination certificates," Putin added.

In an apparent reference to the failure of Russia's Sputnik V to win foreign regulatory approval, Putin urged G20 health ministers to discuss the mutual recognition of vaccines and vaccination certificates "as soon as possible".

Earlier this month, South Africa refused to approve the Russian jab despite the country's dire need for vaccines, claiming it could increase the risk of HIV infection among men.

Sputnik V also lacks regulatory approval in the EU and the US.

Chinese President Xi Jinping -- who, like Putin did not travel to Rome for the summit and participated by video link -- made a similar call for the mutual recognition of vaccines, according to Chinese state media.

- Rising cases -

Putin and Xi were said to have avoided travelling to Italy due to tightening coronavirus restrictions in their home countries.

In Russia, where new cases are spiking despite the availability of the Sputnik V jab, Putin ordered a week-long paid holiday starting Saturday in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

Russian authorities said Saturday that daily infection numbers had risen to 40,251, a record since the start of the pandemic, with only 32.5 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

At the G20, summit host and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the international community was "very close to meeting the WHO’s target of vaccinating 40 percent of the global population by the end of 2021".

"Now we must do all we can to reach 70 percent by mid-2022," he added.

According to a source following the summit discussions, "all the leaders" agreed to commit to the target set out by Draghi.

The Italian premier noted that while more than 70 percent of people in developed countries have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, the percentage drops to around three percent in the poorest parts of the world.

"These differences are morally unacceptable, and undermine the global recovery," he said.

The two-day summit in Rome of G20 leaders -- their first meeting in person since the global coronavirus pandemic -- also included climate change and threats to the global economic recovery on the agenda.

Their meeting was preceded Friday by G20 finance and health ministers' discussions, in which they also cited the urgency of meeting the 70 percent vaccination target by the middle of next year.

To meet the objective, they committed to "take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints."

© 2021 AFP

Syria says Israel fired missiles towards Damascus suburbs

Two Syrian soldiers were injured in an unusual daytime Israeli missile attack on Damascus, Syrian state TV has reported.

Published On 30 Oct 2021

Missiles fired from Israel towards suburbs of the capital, Damascus, have been intercepted by Syria’s air defences, state media reported.

According to a military statement by the Syrian air defences, the missiles targeted sites in countryside around Damascus and destroyed some of them, state media SANA said.

Two soldiers were injured and some material losses occurred, the statement added.

“The Israeli enemy fired a salvo of surface-to-surface missiles from northern occupied Palestine targeting positions near Damascus,” SANA said, quoting an unnamed military official.

“Our anti-aircraft defences were activated and were able to hit some of the enemy missiles.”

An Israeli military spokesperson said: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Saturday’s raid destroyed arms and ammunition depots belonging to Iranian forces and allied militias in Qudssaya and Dimas.

Israel has attacked these positions in the past.

On October 14, an Israeli air raid on Iranian positions in central Syria killed nine fighters allied to the Syrian government.

The attacks came days after Syria accused Israel of carrying out an attack in the country’s south.

Israel, alarmed by Iran’s growing regional influence and military presence in Syria, has launched hundreds of attacks in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

The attacks on Syria usually happen during the night.

Israel has acknowledged it is targeting bases, weapon convoys and facilities linked to Iran-allied militias, such as the powerful Lebanese Hezbollah group.

It is also targeting arms shipments believed to be bound for the group.

Hezbollah is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the civil war.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

THEY ARE ANTI SUFI DAESH

Taliban killed 13 to silence music at a wedding party in Nangarhar: Afghanistan's ex-VP Amrullah Saleh

Former Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, took to Twitter on Saturday to claim that the Taliban had killed thirteen people in Nangarhar province in order to silence music at a wedding party.


India Today Web Desk Nangarhar October 30, 2021

Amrullah Saleh (Photo: Reuters)

Former Vice President (VP) of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, took to Twitter on Saturday to claim that the Taliban had killed thirteen people in Nangarhar province in order to silence music at a wedding party.

He wrote, "Taliban militiamen have massacred 13 persons to silence music in a wedding party in Nangarhar."

Amrullah Saleh went on to say that "resistance is a national need" and condemnation is not enough. "We can't express our rage only by condemnation," he said.

The former VP, and "Acting President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan", held Pakistan responsible for the alleged massacre. Amrullah Saleh wrote, "For 25 years, Pakistan trained them to kill Afghan culture and replace it with Inter-Services Intelligence-tailored fanaticism to control our soil. It is now in works. This regime won't last but unfortunately, until the moment of its demise, the Afghans will continue paying a price."

THE TALIBAN AND MUSIC

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15 and ever since, there have been several incidents in which music and musicians have been attacked by the ruling militant group.

Towards the end of August, the Taliban banned music and female voices on television and radio channels in Afghanistan's Kandahar.

On September 4, armed Taliban guard shuttered the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

In a more extreme incident, Afghan folk singer Fawad Andarabi was reportedly shot dead by a Taliban fighter in the last week of August in Andarabi Valley.

In the first week of September, two grand pianos and other musical instruments were found destroyed at Kabul's state recording studios in Afghanistan.

In an interview with The New York Times, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in August, "Music is forbidden in Islam. But we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them.”

Rights groups call on Egypt to release veteran journalist Tawfik Ghanem

Tawfik Ghanem, a retired journalist [free_ghanem/Twitter]

October 29, 2021 

Eleven human rights groups have called on Egypt to release Tawfik Ghanem, a retired journalist who has been in jail for over 150 days on charges of spreading false news and terrorism.

Ghanem, 65, served as a regional director for Anadolu Agency before he retired in 2015. He was subject to forced disappearance on 26 May for five days, when he was questioned about his previous work at the Turkey-based news agency.

Since then, Cairo's Supreme State Security Prosecution has been renewing his pretrial detention pending investigation on charges of spreading false news, misusing social media and terrorism.

The joint statement released yesterday asserted that Ghanem "is being denied access to adequate healthcare in prison or outside facilities for diagnosis and treatment."

According to his family, Ghanem needed a medical checkup for a "suspected kidney tumour 50 days ago" as he also "suffers from diabetes, neuritis in his legs and knee, lower back problems, and an enlarged prostate that requires ongoing specialist treatment in a properly equipped medical facility."

The human rights NGOs called on Egyptian authorities "to stop their systematic crackdown on media freedom and halt the misuse of pretrial detention pending investigation on bogus terrorism charges to punish any criticism or dissent."

The statement was signed by Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Democracy for the Arab World Now, Egyptian Front for Human Rights, the Freedom Initiative, International Service for Human Rights, MENA Rights Group, PEN America, Project on Middle East Democracy, and Sinai Foundation for Human Rights.