Category: Security

House Republicans offered Sunday to accommodate Hunter Biden with another subpoena in the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. The offer by House Republicans comes after Hunter Biden refused previous subpoenas.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote a letter to Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, explaining that the committees “welcome Mr. Biden’s newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena.”

The House Republican leaders stated, “Although the Committee’s subpoenas are lawful and remain legally enforceable, as an accommodation to Mr. Biden and at your request, we are prepared to issue subpoenas compelling Mr. Biden’s appearance at a deposition on a new date in the coming weeks.”

After the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee voted last week to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas that were issued in November, Biden’s attorney sent a letter to Comer and Jordan, explaining that the president’s son would be willing to comply with a “proper subpoena” and appear for a congressional hearing or deposition in light of the House’s vote last month, which authorized a formal impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.

READ MORE: Biden exchanged 54 emails with Hunter’s business associate

According to The Daily Wire, Hunter Biden visited Capitol Hill on the day of his previously scheduled deposition, as well as on the day House members considered resolutions to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress. Both Hunter Biden and his attorney repeatedly argued that the House’s November subpoenas were “legally invalid.”

“To be clear, the issuance of these subpoenas does not in any way suggest or imply that the Committees believe the assertions in your January 12 letter to have any merit,” Comer and Jordan stated in the letter sent to Biden’s attorney on Sunday. “Our willingness to issue these subpoenas is rooted entirely in our interest in obtaining Mr. Biden’s testimony as expeditiously as possible.”

Additionally, both Comer and Jordan denied Lowell’s suggestion of a “hybrid process” that would involve the proposed public deposition or hearing following similar rules that typically pertain to private depositions.

“While we welcome Mr. Biden’s public testimony at the appropriate time, he must appear for a deposition that conforms to the House Rules and the rules and practices of the Committees, just like every other witness before the Committees,” the House Republican leaders wrote.

United States officials have reported that two U.S. Navy Seals are still missing after conducting a dangerous mission Thursday night near the coast of Somalia.

“On the evening of January 11, two U.S. Navy Sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia,” U.S. Central Command wrote in a statement released on Friday. “Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors. For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete.”

According to three U.S. officials who spoke with The Associated Press, the two missing Navy SEALs were assigned to a nighttime boarding interdiction mission. As the Navy SEALs were attempting to board the vessel, one of the SEALs was knocked into the water due to high waves. The Associated Press noted that Navy SEAL protocol requires the next SEAL to jump into the water after one SEAL falls down.

READ MORE: 3 US soldiers’ bodies recovered by Navy after helicopter crash

Two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that both Navy SEALs were still missing, prompting a search and rescue mission to be conducted in the Gulf of Aden.

While U.S. officials confirmed the ongoing search and rescue operation, Central Command explained, “Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the missing personnel at this time.” However, Central Command noted that both Navy SEALs were “forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions.”

The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Navy has executed multiple interdiction missions, preventing weapons from being transported to the Iran-backed Houthis based in Yemen. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that last Thursday’s mission was not connected with Operation Prosperity Guardian or the joint strikes conducted last week by the United States and its allies in Yemen.

A former U.S. official told ABC News that nighttime boarding operations, such as Thursday night’s mission involving the two missing Navy SEALs, are often dangerous and complicated due to the fluctuating conditions of the ocean and the environment of the region.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized in good condition with no date set for his release, a Pentagon spokesman said Saturday.

Austin’s hospitalization on Jan. 1 for complications from prostate surgery and delays in notification, including to the White House, have prompted an investigation by the Department of Defense’s internal watchdog and criticism from lawmakers. President Joe Biden called the delay a lapse of judgment, but said he still has faith in Austin.

Austin, 70, is in contact with senior staff and “continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Austin’s hospitalization has drawn particular scrutiny at a time of increased global conflict. That includes U.S. engagement in the Middle East after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants and Israel’s military response in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas rules.

The U.S. and U.K. launched about 70 airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen early Friday in a bid to stop the Iran-backed group’s shipping attacks in the Red Sea. A follow-up attack by the U.S. on early Saturday in Yemen targeted a Houthi radar site.

Pentagon officials have said that Austin is performing his duties while at the Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington and his prognosis is good.

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Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones worked as a nurse anesthetist in San Diego for nearly two decades before resigning in 1999. She went years without speaking to relatives, and exactly what happened to her has been a mystery since December, when her body was discovered in a freezer at a home where she once lived.

Detectives believe Haxby-Jones — who would have been 81 this year — may have been missing or dead for up to nine years. Police say she was never reported as missing.

As the San Diego Police Department awaits a determination on her death from the medical examiner, detectives are working to piece together her life.

“A lot of this investigation is trying to learn what we can about her,” said Lt. Jud Campbell. “There’s a lot of gaps we’re still trying to fill in.”

On Dec. 22, officers arrived at a home on Zion Avenue to investigate a report of a death. Family members visiting from out of town had found a body inside a chest freezer.

Those visitors are related to a current resident of the home, not to Haxby-Jones, according to Campbell.

On Thursday, police said the body had been identified as Haxby-Jones. Detectives believe that at some point she lived at the address on Zion Avenue.

Her cause of death has not been determined and remains under investigation by the medical examiner’s office, police said. While there was no obvious traumatic injury to the body, police are investigating the case as a suspicious death.

It’s unclear when the medical examiner will have answers about Haxby-Jones’ death, police said.

“When you don’t have that obvious traumatic injury, it’s just a much slower determination,” Campbell said. “They have to come to a determination they can support scientifically.”

There have been no arrests, according to Campbell. He said no welfare check had been called in on Haxby-Jones.

He declined to answer questions regarding the current resident of the home.

“We just want to get information that will help us figure out what happened here,” Campbell said. “Even while the medical examiner is doing their thing.”

Haxby-Jones worked at the Zion Medical Center from 1980 until 1999, according to a Kaiser Permanente spokesperson.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones and want to express our sincerest condolences to her family, friends and loved ones,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Mary Margaret will be remembered as a dedicated healthcare professional and will be greatly missed by all of us at Kaiser Permanente that had the privilege to work alongside her.”

A relative of Haxby-Jones by marriage, who asked not to be identified due to the ongoing investigation, said she doesn’t believe the woman had any blood relatives and noted that the family “is estranged.”

Although the relative hadn’t seen Haxby-Jones since 1995, she described her as someone who smiled often and loved to get her nails and hair done. Haxby-Jones and her husband also rescued exotic birds, she recalled.

“It’s all under investigation, and it’s kind of saddening about how everything is happening,” the relative said. “We’re trying to not make a comment at this time, because we weren’t there, we don’t know, we can’t answer these questions.”

She added that Haxby-Jones is a military veteran. Google Street View images of the home where records show Haxby-Jones lived show a car with a sticker reading “U.S. Army Retired.”

“I’m hoping that she can get the burial she deserves,” the relative said.

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© 2024 Los Angeles Times

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North Korea breached the recently scrapped 2018 inter-Korean military accord approximately 3,600 times, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

The number of violations by North Korea, counted from the time the deal was reached six years ago, was announced following three consecutive days of North Korean provocations along the sea boundary.

The JCS in Seoul told the press that due to North Korea’s firing of artillery shells near South Korean border islands over the past three days, there are now no areas where military measures are halted.

“Rather than reacting to the enemy actions on a case-by-case basis, our troops will be carrying out drills according to our own plans in the northwestern islands,” it said.

South Korea staged a drill of its own Friday afternoon in response to North Korea firing some 200 rounds into waters north of their western sea boundary earlier in the day. The North Korean drills sparked an evacuation order across nearby islands, forcing residents there to seek shelter.

Then on Saturday and Sunday, the frontline firing of artillery shells by North Korea continued in the sea.

In a statement over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, denied that artillery shells had been fired, claiming that the South Korean military had instead been “fooled” by the sounds of explosives detonating.

She added that “even a slight provocation from the enemy” would be met with an “immediate strike” by the North Korean military.

The South’s JCS said that the latest statement from Kim appears to be “part of Pyongyang’s psychological warfare efforts” and issued “stern warnings” against conducting provocative drills around the maritime borders.

Yang Uk, a senior researcher at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies in Seoul, said Kim’s statement serves two aims: to find out the extent of South Korean capabilities to detect North Korean military activities and to discredit South Korean government announcements in the international arena.

“Kim Yo-jong’s remarks are propaganda for portraying South Korean assessment as an overreaction,” he told The Korea Herald.

Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat now with the South Korean ruling party, agreed that the Kim Yo-jong claims of having “fooled” Seoul were “low-level propaganda” and “psychological warfare tactics” by the Kim siblings in Pyongyang.

The 2018 inter-Korean military accord was originally set up with the aim of reducing tensions around the shared border. North Korea withdrew from the deal in November, after the launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite led to South Korea resuming surveillance operations in the border area.

Seoul officials have said North Korea will likely escalate weapons tests in time for the April general election in South Korea and the November presidential election in the US.

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A skull discovered by two teens playing in a rockpile 55 years ago has now been identified as a veteran of two wars, California authorities reported.

DNA testing showed the unidentified remains belonged to William Melvin Toller, who was born in 1927 and served in two wars, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The results led investigators to his daughter, Anona, in Louisiana, officials said.

Toller joined the U.S. Marine Corps while underage at 15 years old to fight in World War II, investigators learned. He was wounded in combat in the South Pacific.

After the war, he obtained a degree in psychology at the University of Idaho, then reenlisted and fought in the Korean War, authorities said.

His daughter told investigators that her mother said Toller was a “different man” after returning from Korea.

Officials speculated he may have had post-traumatic stress disorder from his wartime experiences.

Her parents divorced in the 1950s, and the family lost touch with Toller when Anona was 8 years old, she told investigators

After the discovery of his remains, Toller was buried in Humboldt County in 1968, officials said. In 2010, his remains were exhumed and a DNA sample retrieved for testing.

In December 2022, the DNA was sent to Othram, a commercial company, for further analysis, DNA Solves said in a news release.

The company used forensic genetic genealogy to generate new leads, which pointed investigators to Toller’s daughter. Her DNA sample proved to be a genetic match to Toller’s.

Investigators are still seeking information on Toller’s last known activities and death.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information to call Cold Case Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024.

Humboldt County is about 300 miles northwest of San Francisco near the Oregon border.

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Masked gangsters briefly took control of a TV station in Ecuador during a live broadcast as violence escalated throughout the nation, prompting President Daniel Noboa to mobilize the military in a bid to “neutralize” the criminals.

Attacks, kidnappings and prison riots multiplied over the past 24 hours since Noboa imposed a nationwide curfew and declared a state of emergency amid a manhunt for a notorious drug lord.

The latest attack targeted state-owned broadcaster TC Television’s Guayaquil station, which was seized by grenade-wielding thugs on Tuesday afternoon. Videos distributed on social networks showed them holding staffers hostage at gunpoint and at least one person was injured, according to Cesar Ricaurte, head of journalism advocacy organization Fundamedios.

Saying Ecuador faces an “internal armed conflict,” Noboa identified 22 gangs as terrorist organizations, including the Choneros and the Lobos. He ordered “the armed forces to execute military operations under international humanitarian law to neutralize the identified groups.”

All gunmen who broke into the TV station were later arrested by police, according to local newspaper El Economista.

The violence, which erupted as the government pursues an austerity plan and prepares to submit a raft of security and investment measures to a referendum, dented investor optimism. Ecuador’s sovereign bonds extended losses to a session low. Notes due in 2030 slipped more than 1.3 cents Tuesday to 48.2 cents on the dollar, further blunting a modest rally that began in mid-December, according to indicative pricing compiled by Bloomberg.

Overnight, seven police officers in different parts of the country were kidnapped, according to the national force. Ivan Saquicela, president of Ecuador’s top court, said an explosive went off near his home. Riots continued at several jails, with guards held by inmates. And the education ministry closed schools in the vicinity of prisons.

Fabricio Colón, leader of the Lobos who is suspected of plotting to assassinate Prosecutor General Diana Salazar, escaped from jail in Riobamba in a 40-inmate prison break. Noboa issued the emergency decree Monday after gang leader Adolfo Macías, head of the Choneros known as Fito, was found to have escaped from his cell in a Guayaquil penitentiary the previous day.

“The time that those sentenced for drug trafficking, murder for hire, and organized crime dictated to incumbent governments what to do is over,” Noboa said in a video statement released on social networks.

The 36-year-old took office in November promising to control a crime wave that has turned Ecuador into one of Latin America’s most dangerous countries. The 60-day state of emergency sets an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and suspends the need for warrants for searches.

The escapes of Macías and Colón came just days before Noboa was expected to unveil a plan to reform the prison system, which has experienced a rash of deadly riots in recent years.

Ecuadorian officials have blamed the problems on increased efforts to combat drug trafficking and organizing crime, as they have struggled to control outbreaks of violence that have resulted in the deaths of more than 400 inmates since early 2020.

The prison problems have occurred alongside a broader surge in violence that ranked as voters’ top concern during the election. Ecuador’s murder rate hit 46.5 per 100,000 people last year, nearly twice the previous record set in 2022 and eight times its 2018 level.

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© 2024 Bloomberg L.P

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Doctors for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had been hospitalized over complications from prostate-cancer surgery, shedding new light on health concerns that the White House acknowledged it didn’t fully know about until Tuesday.

A routine screening in early December revealed Austin had prostate cancer and doctors put him under general anesthesia for a prostatectomy later in the month. After he was released, he suffered an infection and fluids collected in his abdomen, obstructing his intestines, the doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in a statement.

The information about Austin’s health was released in response to growing frustration that the defense secretary, 70, had not been forthcoming about his health after he was admitted to intensive care for “severe pain” on Jan. 1. He didn’t tell the White House for several days that he’d been hospitalized, provoking consternation from President Joe Biden’s top aides.

Austin waited even longer to tell Biden why he’d been hospitalized. On Tuesday, the White House said Austin only informed the White House that he had cancer that morning.

“We all recognize this didn’t unfold the way it should have — on so many levels,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Austin, who has a reputation for closely guarding his privacy, acknowledged early on that he could have done a better job informing the public about his health issues, and said he took responsibility for the way it was handled.

The statement Tuesday appeared to do little to mollify the chorus of lawmakers who have demanded more transparency from the Pentagon and questioned how the White House failed to notice he was absent for several days. Some lawmakers including Representative Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican, have called for him to resign.

“The failure to notify Congress of his inability to perform his duties was a clear violation of the law,” Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “It remains unclear who decided to ignore federal law but there must be accountability.”

Earlier Tuesday, the White House announced a review of protocols around Cabinet secretaries who are unreachable or incapacitated. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients sent a memo to all Cabinet members ordering them to notify the White House if they’re forced to delegate authority.

The order said Cabinet members should notify the White House “when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.”

Wicker’s statement called that review inadequate. Even so, Biden retains confidence in Austin and doesn’t want him to resign, the White House said. Kirby cited Austin’s work helping manage issues including the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war.

Prostate cancer is among the most common tumors, affecting 13 of 100 American men during their lifetimes. Black men are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with the disease as white men, and their death rates are more than twice as high. It’s sometimes a slow-growing cancer, and in these cases doctors often wait to see how dangerous it becomes before starting aggressive treatment.

The Pentagon said Jan. 5 that Austin’s procedure was elective, meaning that treatment was chosen by the patient. More than 95% of patients survive prostate cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis, although those in the later stages of the disease have dimmer survival prospects.

“He has progressed steadily throughout his stay,” the doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in the statement. “His infection has cleared. He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process.”

In a statement later Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said Austin is performing his duties from the hospital, adding that it wasn’t clear when Austin would be released. Asked why the Pentagon had been so secretive about the issue, Ryder said it was because the matter was “deeply personal” for the secretary.

Austin’s hospitalization briefly raised alarms about who was in charge of the world’s most powerful military and whether protocols on such notifications were violated. When his hospitalization was disclosed, the Pentagon said Austin had transferred authority to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, and there had been no break in the chain of command.

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This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.

The Philippines on Friday defended its joint South China Sea patrols with the United States against a Chinese claim that they were “provocative,” saying the maneuvers took place within its territorial waters and were consistent with international law.

But Manila remains open to “diplomatic discussions” with China, Filipino National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said, a day after the Philippine and U.S. militaries completed a second joint patrol in the disputed waterway.

“We wish to clarify that the joint maritime activities between the Philippines and the United States were clearly conducted within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and are consistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), so how can they be deemed provocative?” Año said in a statement.

“The Philippines is merely exercising its sovereign right to engage in such activities within its territory.”

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had called the Philippine-U.S. patrols “irresponsible,” saying they were “detrimental to management and control of the maritime situation and related disputes.”

Other nations must respect “efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.

The Philippine national security adviser said Manila was committed to maintaining regional peace.

“Our joint patrols with the United States and potential future activities with other allied countries shows our mutual commitment to a rules-based international order and for promoting peace and stability of the region,” Año said in a statement.

The national security adviser said Manila wanted to maintain a cordial rapport with all countries.

“The Philippines remains open to diplomatic discussions with China and reaffirms its commitment to fostering good relations with all nations,” Año said. “We believe that through peaceful dialogue and adherence to international law, we can achieve a resolution that serves the best interests of all parties involved in the region.”

In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark ruling in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that threw out China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. Beijing, however, has ignored the ruling and carried on with its military expansionism in the strategic waterway, including building artificial islands.

As was the case with the first round of joint patrols, which were launched in late November, this week’s patrols took place in the waters and skies of the Philippines’ EEZ.

The first joint sea and air patrols between the two allies, a three-day program, was meant to demonstrate bilateral muscle-flexing in the face of perceived Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Those maneuvers involved three navy ships and three fighter-jets from the Philippine military, and one littoral combat ship and an aircraft from the American side.

The governments of both nations have been allies since they signed their Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951.

Message that ‘Philippines is not alone’

On Friday, Filipino military spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the second patrol, a series of operations held Wednesday and Thursday, required “complete coordination between Philippine and U.S. assets to enhance the operational capabilities and interoperability of both forces.”

For the activity, the Philippine military sent four ships, a multi-role helicopter, and an anti-submarine helicopter, while the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, deployed an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, and its strike group that included a cruiser, and two destroyers.

Maritime security expert Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, said the joint activity increased “Manila’s leverage” internationally.

“These exercises send the message that the Philippines is not alone in the West Philippine Sea, but must be considered by potential adversaries as part of a network of military allies and partners,” Powell told BenarNews on Friday.

Two weeks earlier, the Philippines said it intended to expand multinational patrols in the South China Sea. He said France, Canada, India, the U.K. and New Zealand had expressed an interest in joining such patrols.

All these nations support the 2016 arbitration court’s ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims to the sea.

In recent months, China has been harassing Filipino forces delivering supplies to its forces at its military outpost in Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal. Last month, a civilian-led convoy carrying Christmas gifts to forces there was forced to turn back after a Chinese ship shadowed it relentlessly.

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.

Myanmar’s Three Brotherhood Alliance claimed the capture of two cities, according to a statement released Monday. The resistance group announced they stormed two junta camps on Sunday, causing troops to withdraw.

The alliance reportedly captured Hseni in northeastern Shan state on Sunday morning. The junta camp there also acts as the army’s regional operational command headquarters, according to the alliance. Later that day, the allied forces moved to the city of Kutkai and seized it late at night, according to locals.

All junta troops from Hseni and Kutkai withdrew and fled to Lashio on Sunday afternoon, said one local who has been following military movements in the area.

The alliance comprises three resistance groups, including the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. Since the Three Brotherhood Alliance’s Operation 1027 began in late October, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army’s fighters have claimed control of most major areas in Hseni. 

The junta’s regional headquarters and smaller camps are located several kilometers away from the city. The area has been under a blockade for almost two months. Troops retaliated during Sunday’s attack using heavy artillery and airstrikes, a local told Radio Free Asia, asking to go anonymous to protect their identity. 

The alliance attacked the camps in Kutkai multiple times earlier this month, they said, adding that junta troops responded with airstrikes on Sunday evening during the fighting.

One fighter involved in the ground battles told RFA Kutkai was entirely captured, despite the junta’s heavy defense. However, others said the status of Hseni could not be confirmed at this time. 

“It is true that our forces captured the whole of Kutkai city last night,” said a spokesman for the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, asking to remain nameless for fear of reprisals. “As for Hseni, I can’t confirm it, because we are not there.”

Myanmar’s regime has not released any information about battles in Hseni and Kutkai. RFA was unable to reach junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment regarding junta injuries and fatalities.

On Thursday, the alliance also overtook a military command center in northern Myanmar, claiming control of the city of Laukkai according to a statement released Friday.  

Since the launch of Operation 1027 more than two months ago, the Three Brotherhood Alliance has reportedly captured 14 townships in northern Shan state and seized control of more than 200 junta camps.