BAN MASKS NOT VIOLENT PASSANGERS
Cruz, other GOP senators oppose no-fly list for convicted unruly passengers

A group of Republican senators sent a letter to the Justice Department on Tuesday to express "strong opposition" to creating a federal no-fly list for unruly passengers, claiming "the majority of recent infractions on airplanes has been in relation to the mask mandate."

Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas were among those who signed a letter opposing Delta Airlines' CEO Ed Bastian's, request earlier this month that the DOJ create a "no-fly" list for passengers convicted of federal offenses relating to on-board disruptions.


© Win Mcnamee/Getty Images

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill, Feb. 9, 2022.

2021 saw a major spike in unruly passengers, with more than 5,981 reported cases, according to the FAA. The agency notes, of those cases, 4290 were mask-related.

"Creating a federal 'no-fly' list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland," the GOP senators' letter said. "The [Transportation Security Administration] was created in the wake of 9/11 to protect Americans from future horrific attacks, not to regulate human behavior onboard flights."

The senators argued airlines could create their own no-fly lists and refuse services to unruly passengers, but that it would be an overreach for the federal government to do so.MORE: After increase in assaults, flight attendants are saying enough is enough

Many airlines have already done this, but they do not prevent an offender from boarding another carrier. Delta has previously asked other U.S. airlines to share their internal no-fly lists so that people who endangered their crew can't do so on another airline.


© Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ed Bastian, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines Inc., speaks during a keynote at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Jan. 7, 2020.

"The creation of this list by DOJ would result in a severe restriction on the ability of citizens to fully exercise their constitutional right to engage in interstate transportation," the GOP letter said. "It also raises serious concerns about future unrelated uses and potential expansions of the list based on political pressures."

In Bastian's request to the DOJ, he indicated that he believes banning unruly passengers from all commercial flights will send a strong signal to the flying public that not following crew member instructions comes with severe consequences.

MORE: Delta CEO: Put convicted unruly passengers on national 'no-fly' list

"This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft," he wrote.

Unruly passenger incidents onboard Delta planes have increased nearly 100% since 2019, according to Bastian. The airline has placed almost 2,000 people on Delta's internal no-fly list for refusing to wear a mask and has submitted around 1,000 banned names to the TSA to pursue civil penalties.

Other people in the industry have called for support of a no-fly list for unruly passengers. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, responded in a statement to the GOP senators.


© Scott Olson/Getty Images

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers screen passengers at O'Hare International Airport on Nov. 08, 2021, in Chicago.

"We've been punched, kicked, spit on, and sexually assaulted. This puts everyone at risk and disrupts the safety of flight, which is never acceptable and every single one of the senators who signed this letter knows full well what is at stake if we leave a gap in aviation safety and security," Nelson said. "It is irresponsible and political brinkmanship that will put our economic security at risk right along with our lives."

Nelson pushed back against the lawmakers' argument about mask mandates, noting many charges stem from incidents unrelated to mask-wearing.

"Our union continues to call for the creation of a centralized list of passengers who may not fly for a period of time after being fined or convicted of a serious incident. This is not about "masks," and the worst attacks have nothing to do with masks," Nelson said. "You're either for protecting crew and passengers from these attacks or you're against. We need clear and consistent rules with strict consequences for those who cannot respect our collective efforts to keep everyone safe - in the air and on the ground."

Joe DePete, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association, called for the Department of Homeland Security to create a "no-fly list" for unruly passengers.

"There should be zero tolerance for airline passengers who threaten the safety of others," DePete said in a tweet Tuesday.

Delta responded to the Republicans senators in a statement, saying unruly passengers risk the safety of airline staff and other passengers.

"Delta welcomes the interest from Congress as U.S. airlines continue to grapple with an uptick in unruly passengers, putting the safety of airline employees and the flying public at risk," a spokesperson for Delta told ABC News on Tuesday. "At Delta, nothing is more important than ensuring a safe and secure travel experience for our customers and our people."

VW Employees Getting Another Coronavirus Bonus As One-Off Payment

Jacob Oliva - Yesterday 
© Motor1.com

This is the second premium that VW employees got amid the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting various industries since two years ago. The automotive industry is one of those, and companies have been trying hard to compensate their workers who continue to soldier on despite the risks.

One of those companies is Volkswagen AG. The automaker has announced that its employees working at its German locations will be given another round of "coronavirus premium" in recognition of their hard work in recent months.

The bonus amounts to 500 euros or around $568 with the current exchange rates, a retrospective payment for the period from July 2021 to February 2022.

The payout will happen at the end of February 2022 with the employees' monthly salary. It will be paid gross for net, which means it won't be taxed and the employees will receive the full amount.

It Was A Tough Year For VW But Not Porsche:

Porsche Sold 300,000+ Cars In 2021 And The Taycan Outsold The 911


VW Group Global Vehicle Sales Down 4.5 Percent In 2021

"In recent months, the pandemic greatly tested our employees – whether they were working at our locations or remotely. The flexibility and tireless dedication they have shown is a remarkable performance that we would like to recognize. That is the reason for the new coronavirus premium," Chief Human Resources Officer Gunnar Kilian said in a statement.

Apprentices, dual students, and doctoral students will also receive a bonus in recognition of the additional strain caused by the pandemic. They will receive up to 300 euros ($341).

Volkswagen's first round of coronavirus bonuses was paid out in June 2021 for the period from March 2020 to June 2021. That money amounted to 1,000 euros ($1,136).

The German government’s coronavirus economic aid package made these bonuses possible. The package allows employers to pay their employees up to 1,500 euros ($1,705) in premium, free from tax and social security contributions.

This isn't the first time we've heard of a coronavirus premium from automakers. In December 2020, Daimler rolled out a $1,200 "corona bonus" to its employees for similar reasons.

Source: Volkswagen

Volkswagen works council sees Q1 decision on new Wolfsburg plant

BERLIN (Reuters) - The works council of Volkswagen said on Wednesday it hopes for a final decision on exactly where the German company will build a new electric vehicle plant in the first quarter, adding it wants it close to its existing Wolfsburg factory.

"We are fighting for Trinity production right here in Wolfsburg, which means either on the factory site or in the direct vicinity of the main plant," works council head Daniela Cavallo said in a statement.

Volkswagen said last year it plans to build a new state-of-the-art car factory close to its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, hoping to raise its game as the opening of Tesla's gigafactory near Berlin draws closer.

The plant is part of the group's Trinity project under which the carmaker wants to build a flagship electric sedan in Wolfsburg from 2026.

However, Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess has angered labour representatives by arguing that VW's main site - which does not currently produce any electric models - was way behind Tesla in terms of efficiency and speed.

Cavallo said the new plant should be closely connected to the existing factory to maximise synergies. The works council added it expected a decision about the precise location of the new plant in the first quarter.

The works council said Volkswagen produced 330,000 fewer vehicles than originally planned at the Wolfsburg plant last year due to a lack of semiconductors, with just under 400,000 vehicles rolling off the production line.

Volkswagen said in early February that night shifts at Wolfsburg would be cut on some production lines because of the lack of chips.

"The coming months will be hard, but we will carry on being the leading plant for the whole Volkswagen Group here in Wolfsburg. This is where we set the direction for the company," Cavallo said.

Cavallo reiterated a demand for a wage bonus for employees despite the tough earnings situation.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz and Victoria Waldersee, writing by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Madeline Chambers)

works council can be elected in Germany in operations normally having at least five employees. Whether a works council should be elected in an operation is decided exclusively by the employees. Preventing a works council election in Germany is punishable under criminal law. The size of the works council to be elected depends on the number of employees in the company and can consist of up to 35 members.

10 Facts for Dealing With German Works Councils

www.squirepattonboggs.com/~/media/files/insights/events/2011/10/works-council…

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M


Morgan Stanley's role in Archegos collapse sped up block trade probes -Bloomberg News

(Reuters) -Morgan Stanley's role in the collapse of Archegos Capital Management deepened a probe by U.S. authorities into Wall Street's lucrative market for block trades, Bloomberg News reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The investment bank lost nearly $1 billion last year when Bill Hwang's Archegos failed to meet margin calls, forcing several investment banks including Morgan Stanley to attempt recouping losses by liquidating shares and assets.

Block trades were already under scrutiny when the highly leveraged family office imploded, the report said on Wednesday.

Morgan Stanley, shares in which were down 2.3%, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Broker-dealers frequently buy and sell blocks of shares, either on behalf of clients or as part of a hedging strategy, which are large enough to move the company's share price.

Block trading tends to increase during times of volatility as institutional investors rebalance their portfolios. Information on such share sales ahead of time could be extremely valuable.

Federal investigators began focusing on trades carried out by Morgan Stanley a day before the wider sell-off wiped out $35 billion from the value of Archegos' holdings https://bloom.bg/3LGBXlA, Bloomberg said.

That led to a wider inspection of multiple trades brought to market by Morgan Stanley, and whether its clients illegally profited from trading in advance of those transactions, according to the report.

It also led to scrutiny of Pawan Passi, a senior executive at the bank who spoke about various block trades, the report said.

Reuters and other media outlets reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was probing whether financial executives broke the rules by tipping off hedge funds ahead of large sales of shares.

The SEC subpoenaed financial institutions in recent weeks to ask about particular block trades, including some dating back to 2019, according to a source familiar with the probe.

The sweep appears aimed at the broker-dealers involved in the trades as well as protocols the firms have to prevent misuse of the information, the source said.

(Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Aditya Soni, Michelle Price and Andrea Ricci)

Proposed class-action lawsuit in B.C. seeks permanent deletion of sex-work records

VANCOUVER — A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in British Columbia wants the court to order criminal records related to sex work removed from police information systems nine years after Canada's highest court threw out the laws.

The civil suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court says members of the class-action had convictions, charges or police interactions related to sex work before the Supreme Court of Canada struck down key prostitution laws in 2013.

The top court found the laws that criminalized making money from sex work violated constitutional rights to life, liberty and security of the person, while advertising or purchasing sexual services remains illegal.

The lawsuit says plaintiff Susan Davis wanted to volunteer for a community policing foundation in 2020 and the disclosure of sex-work offences through a criminal record check deprived her of "control over when, where and who to tell about her convictions."

The City of Vancouver and its police department say they will file their responses in court, while other defendants, including the B.C. Ministry of Attorney General, the federal Justice Department and the RCMP, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

No statements of defence have yet been filed and none of the allegations have been proven in court.

The notice of claim, filed Wednesday, says criminal record checks are required for many employment and volunteer positions and the disclosure of sex-work records to potential employers, schools and other organizations can have adverse consequences.

The lawsuit asks the court for an order requiring the defendants to permanently delete all such records in their possession and for a declaration that the retention and use of the records infringes on constitutional rights and freedoms.

The suit says one or more of the defendants sent sex-work records to immigration, border and policing authorities in the United States, Australia and the European Union. It asks the court to direct the Canadian government to take appropriate steps to request that the other countries expunge those records.

"Sex-work records constitute private information of a personal and confidential nature, and are not evidence of criminality," the lawsuit says. "There is no lawful authority to keep, maintain, use, access or disseminate sex work records."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.

Montreal man's death demonstrates need for better police training, coroner says

The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — The fatal shooting by Montreal police of a man in distress highlighted a lack of training for officers dealing with people in crisis, a Quebec coroner found in a report released Wednesday into the 2017 death of Pierre Coriolan.

Coriolan, 58, was shot three times by police in 2017 after officers responded to a call about a man smashing things inside his apartment. A pathologist ruled Coriolan died of abdominal trauma from a gunshot, and a toxicology report found high traces of cocaine in his system.

"This intervention does not meet what is expected of police officers trained in recent years," coroner Luc Malouin wrote. "And, in my humble opinion, this is the biggest problem of this intervention: police officers who have not had the most recent training in intervention with people in crisis (and) therefore acted with outdated methods that were in no way up to date with current knowledge."

Six police officers responded to the call involving Coriolan, and their intervention lasted just over five minutes. Coriolan was sitting on a sofa holding a knife and screwdriver, and when he did not obey instructions to drop them, police opened fire. They had first tried to subdue him with a stun gun and rubber bullets.

Malouin said that police should have switched to a defensive posture when they saw Coriolan was alone and sitting on a sofa when they arrived. Instead, two officers began yelling at him simultaneously, provoking what the coroner described as a "chain reaction."

"The manner in which the police summoned Mr. Coriolan is questionable, because two police summoned at the same time when it is recommended that only one police officer do so to avoid a possible contradiction in the orders given to the person concerned," the coroner said.

Officers involved in the shooting had been trained to subdue an active shooter, the coroner noted.

"They followed the guiding principle of rapid-response tactical training, which is to quickly isolate and control the threatening person," Malouin said. "This training is still valid for an active shooter, but not for a person whose mental state is disturbed."

In 2019, Quebec prosecutors concluded the officers who fired on Coriolan, who was Black, would not face charges after an investigation by the province's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes.

Malouin's inquest began in February 2020 and was delayed by the pandemic. He wasn't tasked with finding wrongdoing, but with making recommendations that would avoid a repeat in a future police intervention. Twenty-one people testified, including two experts in the use of police force.

He concluded that the police's actions that day demonstrated they had failed to plan the intervention, but their behaviour was consistent with their training, he said, adding that the officers didn't know that Coriolan was alone in the apartment.

The coroner noted in his report that the 911 dispatcher mentioned Coriolan was in distress but did not tell the officers the man was likely alone — information that would have changed the officers' approach, he said. Experts on police use of force told the coroner's inquest the operation would have benefited from a slower approach and that a sergeant charged with overseeing the operation should have stayed back to analyze and direct officers.

A lawyer representing Coriolan's family said Wednesday they were satisfied with the coroner's findings. The family is suing the city over Coriolan's death.

"When we put his report in this context, of course they are satisfied with the conclusion," Virginie Lemire-Dufresne said in an interview. "Many questions remain but they can be proven in the trial that will happen in May."

Recommendations made to police, the Public Security Department and the province's police academy include mandatory training for police officers and supervisors on how to de-escalate situations involving people who are mentally ill or intoxicated.

The police have changed how they engage with mentally disturbed people, Malouin said. Since 2019, the province's police academy has developed a use of force model encouraging communication.

Malouin said the academy has implemented a course on de-escalation tactics, but added that there is no plan to update the training or to require that officers take refresher courses. The Montreal police force, he said, has also created a new training module on de-escalation tactics but it, too, doesn't have a plan to require officers take refresher courses.

In a statement Wednesday, Montreal police said officers are being trained on how to de-escalate situations.

"We openly welcome the report and will analyze all of the recommendations made, more specifically those regarding the (Montreal police) and relating, in particular, to training," the police force said in an emailed statement, adding that it wouldn't comment further.

Malouin's report noted that in Montreal alone, the police force gets 50,000 calls annually about people in crisis, making it essential, he said, for police to continually receive training.

"Given the volume of these calls, it would be appropriate to consider that the police are better equipped to intervene and that these skills require frequent updating and requalification, just like other techniques that are subject to periodic requalification," he wrote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Ottawa mayor asks police services board chair to step down over hiring of new chief

Postmedia News - Yesterday 

© Provided by National PostOttawa Police Services Board Chair Diane Deans.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson asked the city’s police services board chair to step down Wednesday.

According to a source, the city learned Diane Deans was trying hire a new police chief without competition and was eyeing a former chief of a police force in southwestern Ontario for the job.

The Ottawa Police Services Board accepted the resignation of Chief Peter Sloly on Tuesday following weeks of chaos in downtown Ottawa for almost three weeks.

Sloly resigned on Day 19 of the occupation as Ottawa’s police service continued to struggle to crack down on the settlement of big rigs in the city’s core. He asked for 1,800 more police and civilians from other agencies to help local police handle the occupation and to maintain effective policing for the entire city.

Deans announced a “mutually agreed upon separation” between the board and Sloly on Tuesday, but the board released no other information and Deans said there would be no other comment, citing it as a “labour relations matter.”

Sources said Matt Torigian, a former police chief in Waterloo Region, was being eyed to be the next police chief in Ottawa. Torigian was chief of Waterloo Regional Police Service for about six years before becoming deputy minister of the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in 2014 and he held the job until 2018.

RCMP and OPP set up command centre in Ottawa as police chief resigns

Leave now or face arrest: The end to the Ottawa occupation could come quick

Meanwhile, interim OPS Chief Steve Bell said in a statement to city council: “We are going to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space. We are going to remove this unlawful protest. We will return our city to a state of normalcy.

“Some of the techniques we are lawfully able and prepared to use are not what we are used to seeing in Ottawa. But we are prepared to use them where necessary to bring about the safest outcome and restore order.

“We know that this has left our residents feeling unsafe and abandoned and has tarnished our own reputation and that of our City. We deeply regret this,” Bell said.

“There are many questions being asked about how we got here. We all know that there will be full review and we all welcome it so we can learn from the events of the last three weeks.”

The former chair of the Ottawa Police Services board said Tuesday Sloly didn’t receive the support he needed from political overseers and councillors before he quit as police chief on Tuesday.

“Instead of us standing with the police service and supporting the service, the board was absent, councillors were trashing him publicly every opportunity,” Coun. Eli El-Chantiry said in an interview.

“They want police to be in every building, every corner, and all that he had is limited resources.”

WAIT, WHAT

Unvaccinated truckers delivering vaccines, COVID devices exempt from border rules

 The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Unvaccinated truckers bringing COVID-19 vaccines and medical devices into Canada to combat the pandemic are exempt from testing and quarantine requirements at the border, a government order says.

The exemption is due to the "urgent public health necessity" of the supplies they are transporting, Health Canada states.

The government has given exemptions from testing and quarantine rules for certain people crossing the border into Canada to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

They include unvaccinated and vaccinated people invited by the health minister to help with the COVID-19 “response."

A spokeswoman for Health Canada said in a statement that this exemption requires a ministerial invitation and had been “rarely used.” She said it had been used, for example, to help with the supply of ventilators.

The exemption is one of a number set out in an order-in-council published last month that outlines decisions made by cabinet, such as regulations or appointments.

Drivers dropping off students on either side of the U.S.-Canada border at a college, school or university are also exempt from quarantine and testing requirements, the order says.

The order makes clear that unvaccinated truckers are not exempt from the testing and quarantine requirement in other circumstances. They must obtain a pre-arrival COVID-19 test, quarantine and undergo COVID-19 molecular testing in Canada.

The restrictions on unvaccinated cross-border truckers have caused much political debate in Canada and are ostensibly a major sticking point for the protesters camped outside Parliament Hill.

But the order reveals that unvaccinated truckers can avoid the border requirements if they are transporting medical supplies, including products with a drug identification number, such as medications and vaccines authorized for use in Canada.

Medical devices are also covered by the exemption. Health Canada did not specify whether it included masks, gowns or COVID-19 tests.

“The purpose of this amendment is to clarify that those involved in commercial transport who are transporting medically necessary supplies remain exempt from the vaccination requirement to enter Canada,” Health Canada said in a statement.

Health Canada said the exemption covered individuals, including those involved in commercial transport, who are delivering, picking up or fixing medical equipment and supplies.

The statement said “any proportion of a delivery that is medically necessary and is being delivered to a health-care facility or supply distribution centre is sufficient to qualify the person for this exemption.”

The Canada Border Services Agency created confusion last month after it issued a statement to media saying that unvaccinated truckers would remain exempt from quarantine and testing requirements after entering the country at the Canada-U.S. border.

The federal government said the next day the statement had been sent in error, but not before some unvaccinated big-riggers had already been dispatched across the border.

The Canadian Press revealed the confusion over whether truckers were exempt stemmed from bureaucrats misinterpreting policy at both the border services agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada, including whether an order-in-council covered truckers or not. They had thought that they would remain exempt as "crew members."

The updated order-in-council makes clear that unvaccinated truckers are not counted as crew members and are therefore not generally exempt from testing and quarantine rules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2022.

Marie Woolf, The Canadian Press

Death toll rises to 78 from mudslides after storm in Brazil

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from devastating mudslides and floods that swept through a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state has reached 78, Gov. Claudio Castro said Wednesday afternoon.

The city of Petropolis was slammed by a deluge Tuesday, and Castro said almost 400 people were left homeless. Searchers picked through the wreckage throughout the day and 21 people were recovered alive.

Civilians joined official recovery efforts. Among them were Priscila Neves and her siblings, who looked through the mud for any sign of their disappeared parents, but found only clothing. Neves told The Associated Press she had given up hope of finding her parents alive.

And Rosilene Virgilio, 49, was in tears as she recalled the desperate pleas from someone she couldn't save.

“There was a woman screaming, ‘Help! Get me out of here!’ But we couldn’t do anything; the water was gushing out, the mud was gushing out,” Virgilio told The Associated Press. “Our city unfortunately is finished.”

Petropolis is a German-influenced city named for a former Brazilian emperor. Nestled in the mountains above the coastal metropolis, for almost two centuries it has been a refuge for people escaping summer heat and tourists keen to explore the so-called “Imperial City.”

Petropolis was among the nation's first planned cities and features stately homes along its waterways. But its population has grown haphazardly, climbing mountainsides now covered with small residences packed tightly together. Many are in areas unfit for structures and rendered more vulnerable by deforestation and inadequate drainage.

The stricken mountain region has seen similar catastrophes in recent decades, including one that caused more than 900 deaths. In the years since, Petropolis presented a plan to reduce risks of landslides, but works have been advancing only slowly.

The governor told reporters earlier that the situation “was almost like war” and that he was mustering all the state government's heavy machinery to help dig out the buried area.

The state fire department said late Tuesday the area received 25.8 centimeters (just over 10 inches) of rain within three hours Tuesday -- almost as much as during the previous 30 days combined. Petropolis' civil defense authority said moderate rain was expected Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Video posted on social media Tuesday showed cars and houses being dragged away by landslides, and water swirling through Petropolis and neighboring districts. On Wednesday, houses were buried beneath mud while appliances and cars were piled on streets where they had been swept the night before. Some people had attempted to flee the perilous hillsides.

“The neighbors came down running and I gave them shelter,” bar owner Emerson Torre, 39, recalled.

But under torrents of water, his roof collapsed. He managed to get his mother and three other people out of the bar in time, but one neighbor and the person's daughter were unable to escape.

“It was like an avalanche, it fell all at once. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Torre told the AP as rescue helicopters hovered overhead. “Every neighbor has lost a loved one, has lost two, three, four members of the same family, kids.”

Petropolis' city hall declared three days of mourning. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro expressed solidarity while on a trip to Russia, as did his counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“May God comfort their family members,” Bolsonaro said Wednesday in a press conference in Moscow.

Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with more than 40 deaths recorded between incidents in Minas Gerais state in early January and Sao Paulo state later the same month.

___

Associated Press journalist Diarlei Rodrigues reported this story in Petropolis and AP writer David Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP writer Diane Jeantet in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

Diarlei Rodrigues And David Biller, The Associated Press

Close this content

Despair, solidarity for Brazil storm victims



Louis GENOT
Wed, February 16, 2022

Holding the few possessions they are able to carry, families stream down the slopes of the hillside neighborhood of Alto da Serra, many in tears, fleeing the devastation left by deadly landslides in the Brazilian city of Petropolis.

Their modest neighborhood was one of the hardest hit by Tuesday's storms, which dumped a month's worth of rain on this scenic tourist town in a matter of hours, triggering flash floods and torrents of mud that gushed violently through the city.

"It's devastating. We never could have imagined something like this," says one fleeing resident, Elisabeth Lourenco, clutching two bags in which she stuffed some clothing when emergency officials ordered everyone in the neighborhood to evacuate.

"When the rain was falling hardest, a huge amount of mud came pouring down the hillside, and some tree branches fell on my house," says the 32-year-old manicurist, on the verge of tears.

Nearby is a scene of total chaos. A giant swathe of hillside is covered in mud and strewn with the remains of shattered houses.

Authorities say the disaster killed at least 78 people across the city. There are fears the death toll, which rose steadily through the day, could climb further still as rescue workers continue digging through the mud and ruins.

Watching the rescue operation in disbelief, residents shudder with each deafening pass of the helicopters hovering overhead.

"I was eating dinner when the storm started. My brother came in and said, 'We need to get out of here, the hillside is collapsing,'" says Jeronimo Leonardo, 47, whose home sits at the edge of the area wiped out by the landslide.

- 'Up to our waists' -

Residents of Alto da Serra have been evacuated to a church that sits atop another hill nearby.

From the square outside the small blue building, they can see the disaster zone through the mist.

Dozens of families swarm the church, carting their belongings in bags.

Outside, volunteers unload a truck of bottled water, as others sort through donated clothing.

"Can I have some shoes?" asks a little boy standing barefoot, his clothes stained with mud.

Inside, mattresses line the floor.

"We started taking people in as soon as the tragedy started Tuesday evening. We're hosting around 150 to 200 people, including a lot of children," says Father Celestino, a parish priest.

Yasmin Kennia Narciso, a 26-year-old teacher's assistant, is sitting on a mattress nursing her nine-month-old baby.

"I didn't sleep all night," she says.

She tells the story of how she fled with her two daughters around 11:00 pm.

"We tried to leave earlier, but there were boulders strewn across the path and everything was flooded. We were in water up to our waists. We had no choice but to wait until it went down," she says.

She adds that she is still waiting for news on several neighbors.

"An older lady and her three grandchildren who lived just above us were buried in the mud."

Survivors know they likely face a long wait to learn if and when they can return home -- for those who still have homes left.

lg/jhb/caw

Investigation: Zinke misused position as Interior secretary

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to a report from federal investigators released Wednesday.

The investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general found that Zinke continued working with a foundation on the commercial project in the community of Whitefish, Montana even after he committed upon taking office to breaking ties with the foundation.

The report also said that Zinke gave incorrect and incomplete information to an Interior Department ethics official who confronted him over his involvement and that Zinke directed his staff to assist him with the project in a misuse of his position.

The Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation was established by Zinke and others in 2007. Zinke and his wife were in negotiations with private developers for the use of foundation land for a commercial development project that included a microbrewery.

Zinke is a candidate in the June Republican primary for an open Montana Congressional seat, a position he held prior to joining Trump’s cabinet.

Zinke’s campaign called the report “a political hit job” and said his family's involvement in the foundation had led to the restoration of land that was made into a park where children can sled.

Investigators referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution but it declined to pursue a criminal case, according to the report.

The investigation into the land deal was one of numerous probes of Zinke that began when he was in Trump's cabinet.

In another case, investigators found that he violated a policy that prohibits non-government employees from riding in government cars after his wife traveled with him, but he said ethics officials approved it. Zinke was cleared of wrongdoing following a complaint that he redrew the boundaries of a national monument in Utah to benefit a state lawmaker and political ally.

During almost two years overseeing the agency responsible for managing 781,000 square miles (2 million square kilometers) of public lands, Zinke’s broad rollbacks of restrictions on oil and gas drilling were cheered by industry.

But they brought a scathing backlash from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who accused him of putting corporate profits ahead of preservation.

When he resigned, Zinke said it was because of politically motivated attacks that had created a distraction from his duties.

Zinke and his wife, Lola, declined interview requests from federal investigators who were looking into the land deal.

But emails and text messages from others who were involved show Zinke continued to communicate with developers even after resigning from the foundation in March 2017, when he was confirmed as secretary, according to investigators.

“The communications showed that Secretary Zinke repeatedly communicated with the developers of the 95 Karrow project and negotiated with them on behalf of the foundation by discussing the use of foundation property for the project, specific design aspects of the project, and the development of a microbrewery," investigators wrote.

Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

THE PERILS OF OUTSOURCING

Russian hackers have obtained sensitive defense information technology by targeting US contractors, according to CISA

Corin Faife - © Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Russian state-sponsored hackers have been targeting security-cleared US defense contractors for at least two years, according to an alert released Wednesday by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and National Security Agency (NSA).

According to the alert, Russian-backed actors had targeted cleared defense contractors (CDCs) and subcontractors that supported the Department of Defense (DoD) in a range of areas, including weapons and missile development, vehicle and aircraft design, surveillance and reconnaissance, and combat communications systems. Compromised entities include contractors supporting the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Space Force, DoD, and Intelligence programs.

Through intrusions against defense contractors, Russian-backed actors had acquired sensitive unclassified information as well as export-controlled technology, CISA said. Under normal circumstances, technology subject to export-control laws requires a license to be released to foreign entities, necessitating approval from the US government.

Though there is no mention of classified documents being stolen, details suggest that the nature of the information gives a significant understanding of US military operations.

“The acquired information provides significant insight into U.S. weapons platforms development and deployment timelines, vehicle specifications, and plans for communications infrastructure and information technology,” the text of the alert said. “By acquiring proprietary internal documents and email communications, adversaries may be able to adjust their own military plans and priorities, hasten technological development efforts, inform foreign policymakers of U.S. intentions, and target potential sources for recruitment.”

Given the success of current efforts, the FBI, NSA, and CISA anticipate that Russian state-sponsored cyber actors will continue to target defense contractors for information in the near future.

Although Russia is known for harboring cybercriminal gangs, direct attribution of cyber activities to Russian state-sponsored actors is rare and represents a forceful statement from the US agencies involved. As tensions continue on the Russian border with Ukraine, analysts have been particularly sensitive to state-sponsored cyberattacks from the country.