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  • Gabbard Exposes Alarming Biden-Era ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Strategy

    Gabbard Exposes Alarming Biden-Era ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Strategy

    Biden administration allegedly “censoring disfavored speech on the Internet by labeling such speech ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ ‘hate speech,’ ‘domestic terrorism.’” ~America First Legal

    Joseph Lord | The Epoch Times

    Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on April 16 fulfilled her past promise to declassify information related to President Joe Biden’s domestic counterterrorism strategy.

    Dubbed the “Strategic Implementation Plan” (SIP), the 15-page-long document details the Biden administration’s findings and action plan to counter an alleged increase in homegrown domestic terrorism.

    Gabbard released the documents in response to prompting from conservative groups like America First Legal, which expressed concerns about the Biden administration allegedly “censoring disfavored speech on the Internet by labeling such speech ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ ‘hate speech,’ ‘domestic terrorism.’”

    Coming in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, after which the Biden administration claimed that domestic terrorism was the greatest terror threat the United States faced, the SIP represents the government-wide counterterrorism strategy.

    DOWN LOAD DOCUMENT (SCRIBT)

    Here’s what the declassified documents show.

    Four-Pillared Plan

    The plan in the declassified documents is based on four pillars:

    1. “Understand and Share Domestic Terrorism-Related Information,”
    2. “Prevent Domestic Terrorism Recruitment and Mobilization to Violence,” 
    3. “Disrupt and Deter Domestic Terrorism Activity,” and 
    4. “Confront Long-Term Contributors to Domestic Terrorism.”

    The broad goals laid out by the plan included identifying and intervening with “potentially dangerous individuals,” “strengthen[ing] norms of non-violent political expression and rejection of racism and bigotry,” and increasing Americans’ “faith in democracy and the government.”

    The plan called for dedicated research and analysis of domestic terrorism, including any potential links to international organizations or governments.

    To the same end, it called for increased information sharing within federal law enforcement related to domestic terrorism.

    Additionally, this pillar proposed that the government “explore” ways to identify domestic terrorism through financial activity, including through greater involvement with financial institutions and scrutiny of citizens’ financial records.

    It also called for the government to “Enhance [its] understanding of how foreign state and non-state information operations, particularly disinformation, relate to the domestic terrorism threat.”

    That’s essentially federal government parlance for analyzing the impact of foreign actors online.

    The Biden administration and Democrats repeatedly claimed that Russian “trolls” were responsible for spreading disinformation and misinformation online.

    Relatedly, the SIP reveals a plan to “implement evidence-based digital literacy programming to combat online disinformation and DT recruitment and narratives.”

    The plan also calls for the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, among others, to “share with relevant technology and other private-industry companies, as appropriate and as expeditiously as possible and on a consistent basis, relevant information on [domestic terrorism]-related and associated transnational terrorist online content.”

    It called for guardrails on information-sharing with technology companies, factoring in “legal, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties review.”

    Many conservatives have long been critical of alleged collusion between federal agencies and tech platforms, with many saying that the Biden administration sought to censor and deplatform conservative viewpoints in violation of the First Amendment.

    Social Proposals

    The final pillar of the plan, calling to “confront long-term contributors to domestic terrorism,” is laden with potentially controversial social proposals.

    This section identifies “ghost guns”—unregistered weapons without a serial number, often created via 3D printer—as one such contributor, and calls to “[r]ein in the proliferation” of such weapons, “encourage state adoption of extreme risk protection orders, and drive other executive and legislative action including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”

    It also called for “advancing inclusion” as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic to “mitigate xenophobia and bias.”

    This would be in order to “address hate crime reporting barriers faced by disadvantaged communities by promoting law enforcement training and resources to prevent and address bias-motivated crimes,” according to the SIP.

    Additionally, the plan encouraged “teaching and learning of civics education that provides students with the skill to fully participate in civic life,” and promoting “literacy education for both children and adult learners and existing proven interventions to foster resiliency to disinformation.”

    *  *  *

    We decided to give the final word to Matt Margolis over at PJMedia (worth a read): who summarized this shitshow perfectly:

    The founding fathers would be rolling in their graves…

    Let’s cut through the bureaucratic noise and call this what it really is: a systematic blueprint for targeting and silencing conservative Americans. 

    While Biden was preaching “unity” from his teleprompter, his administration was quietly crafting plans to turn Big Tech into their personal censorship machine.

    Remember this  the next time you hear Democrats pontificating about “defending democracy.” 

    They’ve shown us exactly what they mean by “democracy,” and it looks nothing like the Constitutional Republic our founders envisioned.

    Well said, Matt.

    _________

    (SOURCE)

    Header featured image (edited) credit: Megen Kelly show YouTube tease. Emphasis added by (TLB)

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    Source: TLB

  • Colo. man convicted of posing as wife’s ex, stalking, and fatally stabbing her in the heart

    BROOMFIELD, Colo. (TCN) — A jury found a 44-year-old man guilty of multiple charges, including murder, for posing as his wife’s ex-boyfriend, stalking her, then beating and stabbing her to death in their home.

    On Dec. 14, 2023, Broomfield Police Department officers went to a home on the 3100 block of Promontory Loop for a welfare check and found 43-year-old Kristil Krug deceased inside. Four days later, investigators arrested her husband, Daniel Krug, on one count of first-degree murder. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office formally charged him on Dec. 21, 2023, with first-degree murder, two counts of stalking, and one count of criminal impersonation.

    According to the district attorney’s office, starting around October 2023, Krug reportedly began stalking his estranged wife and “carried out an elaborate scheme to impersonate a fictitious stalker, attempting to frame an ex-boyfriend of Kristil’s who lived in Utah.” The ex-boyfriend, however, had a “verifiable alibi” and police did not find any proof that he traveled to Colorado.

    Daniel Krug reportedly bought burner phones, created fake email addresses, harassed her online, and “terrorized Kristil under the false identity.” Krug reportedly shared a photo from the fake account of him showing up to work “to support the illusion that someone was stalking both of them.” Kristil Krug became scared for her safety due to the stalking, so she started carrying a gun and taking firearm safety classes. Her kids knew about the stalker, and undercover police got involved to help figure out the person’s identity.

    On Dec. 14, 2023, just before 8 a.m., Kristil Krug came home from dropping her kids off at school and entered her garage. Daniel Krug was reportedly “lying in wait,” where he “ambushed Kristil from behind, striking her in the head multiple times with a blunt object before fatally stabbing her in the heart.”

    Daniel Krug reportedly tried to mislead detectives by sending texts from Kristil Krug’s phone to her brother and to a Broomfield Police detective about how she had been unfaithful. Those claims, however, were false. Daniel Krug used her phone to turn off the home security system and then covered the doorbell camera with tape.

    Video footage showed Krug leaving the house at 8:24 a.m., which was about 30 minutes later than the time he typically left. He deactivated his car’s dashcam, then bought coffee before driving to work at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. He called and texted Kristil Krug at around noon, then called police and requested a welfare check. Officers arrived at their home at 12:28 p.m., and she was declared dead at 12:43 p.m.

    The district attorney’s office said the evidence “pointed directly to Daniel,” including a phone being at the exact locations as his personal phone several times, as well as one of the fake email addresses being created on his work network. He reportedly Google searched on Dec. 13, 2023, “How hard would you have to hit someone in the head to make them unconscious?” and “How long can you be unconscious without brain damage?”

    Krug’s trial lasted two weeks, and on Thursday, April 17, a jury found him guilty of all charges. The murder conviction has a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

    • Broomfield Defendant Convicted of Murdering, Stalking Wife Following Multi-Week Trial – 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office
    • Promontory Loop Homicide Arrest, 12/18/2023 – Broomfield Police Department
    • 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office Files First-Degree Murder Charge Against Daniel Krug, 12/23/2023 – 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Biden WH Cover-Up Exposed

    Judicial Watch Lawsuit Forces Release of Nashville School Shooter “Manifesto” Records
    White House Revisions to Biden Special Counsel Interview Transcript Revealed
    Did Democrat Arizona AG Announce Trump ‘Investigation’ to Sway Election?
    Public Pre-K-8 “Inclusivity” Books Push Gender Transitioning, Drag Queens
    Happy Easter!

     

    Judicial Watch Lawsuit Forces Release of Nashville School Shooter “Manifesto” Records

    We just received 112 pages of documents of the “manifesto” of the March 27, 2023, shooter at The Covenant School in Tennessee. The records were an interim release in response to our FOIA lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-01483)).

    The records detail the shooter’s violent thoughts, the targeting and planning of the shooting attack on the Covenant School, and transgender-related distress. The records show she considered an attack on a mall but did not pursue it because of the facility’s security measures.

    The Covenant School killer’s ‘manifesto’ records are exceedingly disturbing but should have been released long ago. We appreciate the Trump administration’s transparency. These records may help Americans understand and perhaps better prevent and protect their schools and other targets from mass shooters.

    Separately, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of retired Hamilton County Sheriff James Hammond and the Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc. (“TFA”) (Hammond et al. v. Metropolitan Govt of Nashville et al. (No. 23-0538-III)). The lawsuit is on appeal after a lower court upheld efforts to keep all the records secret.

     

    White House Revisions to Biden Special Counsel Interview Transcript Revealed

    Joe Biden’s handlers, including his White House lawyers, bent over backwards to prevent the American people from learning that he wasn’t up to the job.

    We’re adding to the evidence.

    Judicial Watch received 52 pages of documents from the U.S. Department of Justice showing White House staffers suggesting edits to transcripts of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding his handling of secret documents.

    We received the documents thanks to our FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Justice for records of communication between the agency and White House regarding the altered transcripts of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s October 2023 interviews of President Biden in the criminal investigation into Biden’s theft and disclosure of classified records (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-02176)).

    In a separate lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a federal court ordered the Department of Justice to declare whether it intends to continue denying Judicial Watch’s request for the full audio of former President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. The Trump Justice Department has until May 20, 2025, to report its position on the release of the videotape.   (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-00700))

    Also, previously in that lawsuit, we forced the Biden administration to confess that the transcripts of the audio recordings have been altered and are not accurate.

    The new documents provided in this case include a chart of suggested changes by Biden White House and personal lawyers to the transcript. Also included are emails that detail Biden lawyer Bob Bauer’s requesting access to interview exhibits and a meeting with the special counsel to discuss the case. Justice Department official Marc Krickbaum confirmed most White House revisions to the transcript were accepted, including minor clarifications and changes potentially masking Biden’s confusion, such as correcting who said “Yeah” or altering references to Biden’s Delaware garage and President Biden’s seeming inability to recall the name of the Defense Secretary.

    These documents provide an extraordinary insight into a cover-up of the White House of Biden’s cognitive challenges. The Bondi Justice Department should follow up with the full release of the actual audio of President Biden’s disastrous interview with the special counsel on his document theft and mishandling.

    On October 12, 2023, Bob Bauer, personal attorney to Biden and White House Counsel for President Obama, writes to Marc Krickbaum, then-Deputy Special Counsel, and others, including several White House staffers:

    Gentlemen:

    Now that the interviews of the President have concluded, we would like to discuss with you the written presentations that we are preparing to aid in the resolution of this matter, as well as the schedule for their timely submission. To this end, we request a meeting for the purpose of hearing from you where matters stand in the case, which would enable us to focus our presentations on the issues it would be most helpful for us to address. The meeting would include both personal and White House Counsel.

    ***

    As you know, we also have an outstanding request for copies of the exhibits you provided in your interview of the President. We have noted that these exhibits would be necessary in our review of the transcripts of the interviews to check for any omissions or inaccuracies. We believe it is fair that we have access to this material at least for this purpose. This is one of the issues we would like to resolve at the meeting, along with an understanding for our planning purposes of when the interview transcript may be available for review in both audio and video form.

    In a follow-up email, he corrects himself: “…the reference to ‘video’ can, of course, be disregarded.”

    On December 21, 2023, Krickbaum writes to Rachel F. Cotton, Deputy Counsel to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel, and others showing the court reporter rejected some of the proposed edits to the Biden transcript

    Dick and Rachel,

    We had the court reporter who prepared the transcript review your suggested revisions. She accepted most of them. This table lists your revisions and then describes whether we did or did not make changes.

    We may have to send the transcript itself on the high side [classified] next week. I will let you know when we do.

    Thank you.

    Marc

    Some proposed transcript edits detailed in a chart produced by the Justice Department suggest that the Biden White House changes to the transcript might be considered an effort to cover up Biden’s mental confusion. White House suggests:

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: The date is 4-20-09. Was I still Vice President? I was, wasn’t I? Yeah. Yeah.

    Mr. Bauer: Yeah.

    President Biden: Yeah.

    On this entry, the White House attaches a note: “Audio indicates that ‘Yeah’ was said twice in succession by President Biden. Mr. Bauer did not say ‘Yeah.’

    The court reporter records:

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: The date is 4-20-09. Was I still Vice President? I was, wasn’t I? Yeah. Yeah.

    UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

    PRESIDENT BIDEN: Yeah.

    Other changes also seem significant. One seems to refer to Biden’s garage at his Delaware home, where secret documents were found.

    The White House proposed this change:

    were delivered my the garage

    The court reporter records:

    were delivered to the – my garage.

    At another point, Bien might have been confused about the name of the Secretary of Defense. The White House proposedthis change:

    Secretary of Defense? Gates

    UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Gates.

    A White House entry on that notes states: According to the audio, President Biden says “Gates” prior to the unidentified male speaker.

    The court reporter records:

                Secretary of Defense? Gates?

                UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Gates.

    The White House responds:

    The court reporter inserted a question mark that is unsupported by the audio recording. It is clear that the President said “Gates” as a statement rather than a question. We ask that the question mark be replaced with a period …

    Regarding that last entry and another, on January 3, 2024, Amish [probably Amish Shah, Senior Associate Counsel in the White house Counsel’s Office], emails Krickbaum:

    Thank you for sending. We have reviewed and are fine with almost all of the court reporter’s responses. However, we ask the SCO to reconsider the attached two corrections on Day 2. Both corrections are supported by the audio recording of the interview.

    On January 22, 2024, Krickbaum replies:

    We will send a revised transcript of the President’s interview on yellow [higher security], and attached is a revised list of edits. For the two revisions you suggested in your last email, the court reporter adopted the second and adopted a slightly modified version of the first.

    On February 28, 2024, an Executive Officer in the Special Counsel’s Office emails Free State Reporting:

    Good evening. Would you be able to come back (hopefully, the last time) on Friday, 3/1 or Monday, 3/4 (the sooner, the better? There are more edits to the President’s transcript. I’ll have an exact number tomorrow. I’m getting the computer back so it will be blank when you arrive so it will need your software on it again. It got wiped when I thought everything was finished. I’ll meet you out front with a new parking pass. My apologies for the inconvenience.

    It’s not clear what these last-minute changes were.

    We have several ongoing FOIA lawsuits about Biden’s document scandals and the related unprecedented partisan prosecutorial and judicial abuses of former President Donald J. Trump.  I will have updates for you as events warrant!

     

    Did Democrat Arizona AG Announce Trump ‘Investigation’ to Sway Election?

    Here is yet another example of “lawfare” abuse targeting Donald Trump.

    Our open records lawsuit reveals that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes seems to have used her office for political purposes in threatening a prosecution of President Trump on the eve of the 2024 presidential election (Judicial Watch Inc. v. Kris Mayes et al (No. CV 2025 00675)). Only one document was found (and kept secret) relating to a criminal investigation, while dozens of media-related documents were revealed.

    In an October 31, 2024, interview with Tucker Carlson at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Trump said of Liz Cheney: “She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face. They’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, ‘Oh, gee, well let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.’ “

    On November 1, 2024, Mayes, a Democrat, said during the taping of the Channel 12 “Sunday Square-Off” news show: “I have already asked my criminal division chief to start looking at that statement, analyzing it for whether it qualifies as a death threat under Arizona’s laws.” She conducted multiple media interviews within days of the election.

    Mayes’ office provided comments to CBS, NBC, CNN, AZ Family, Forbes, Fox, News Nation, Sky View Networks, Law and Crime News Network, Newsweek, and Reuters in what appears to be an attempt to paint Donald Trump as a criminal shortly before the election.

    The records show the threatened “investigation” of President Trump was merely an oral request from the Arizona General Mayes to a top staffer to evaluate the Liz Cheney statement.  The only record of the investigation that exists is a 3-page memo from the Attorney General’s criminal division chief back to Mayes, which the Court reviewed in camera and determined was protected attorney work product and therefore can be withheld.  Presumably (and probably from media sources) the memo declined to open a more substantial investigation or initiate a prosecution.

    The lack of records further supports our theory that the investigation—purportedly launched on the Friday before the 2024 presidential election and dropped shortly thereafter—was a sham to try to influence the outcome of the election in an important swing state.

    Mayes ended the “investigation” on November 13, 2024, telling the Arizona Republic that Trump’s comment “very likely may have been an effort to intimidate Cheney” but the investigation showed there was “no reasonable likelihood that we could obtain a conviction for Trump’s statements. We think it’s equally likely a reasonable person could conclude Trump was discussing war, and Liz Cheney not wanting to go to war.”

    We filed our lawsuit in the Superior Court for the State of Arizona, Maricopa County, this past January after Mayes’ office failed to comply with a November 12, 2024, Arizona Public Records Act request for records regarding Mayes’ office and/or the criminal division chief analyzing Trump’s statement as qualifying as a death threat; the determination whether the statement was analyzed to be a violation of Arizona and/or federal law; the costs to carry out the investigation; and any documents in which Mayes addresses the limits of free speech as addressed in the First Amendment.

    (Additionally, we asked for records regarding the dismissal of criminal charges against Arizona citizen Rebekah Massie, who was arrested during an August 20, 2024, Surprise City Council meeting after she criticized a proposed pay increase for the city attorney.

    Maricopa County Judge Gerald Williams dismissed with prejudice the trespassing charge against Massie, writing: “No branch of any federal, state, or local government in this country should ever attempt to control the content of political speech. In this case, the government did so in a manner that was objectively outrageous.”)

     

    Public Pre-K-8 “Inclusivity” Books Push Gender Transitioning, Drag Queens

    Public schools in Maryland, right next door to the nation’s capital, are definitely promoting left-wing extremist and anti-American ideas to children as young as pre-kindergarten. Our Corruption Chronicles blog has the details.

    Leftwing activism has run amok in two Maryland public school districts with “inclusivity” books for elementary students that champion gender transitioning, drag queens and children’s pronoun preferences and a high school student suspended for questioning why all his classrooms do not have an American flag as state law requires. The taxpayer-funded districts are situated about an hour apart but practice the same woke ideology that has gripped academic institutions throughout the United States, a leftist conditioning that President Trump has vowed to abolish. An executive order issued in late January states that federal funding and support will be eliminated for indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology and that parental rights will be protected. “Young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed,” Trump’s order reads. “These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity.”

    The order’s language is especially relevant to the first case, which involves Maryland’s largest school district,Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), with about 160,000 students in 210 campuses located a short distance from Washington D.C. In 2022 the Montgomery County Board of Education announced that students in pre-K through eighth grade would use over 20 new “inclusivity” books that promote gay pride parades, gender transitioning and pronoun preferences for kids. One book directs three and four-year-olds to search for images from a list of words that includes intersex flag, drag queen and underwear as well as the name of a celebrated LGBTQ sex worker turned activist. Other books promote gender transitioning for children, stating that it does not have to make sense and that doctors only guess when identifying a newborn’s gender. When education officials announced the district would use the pride storybooks, it assured concerned parents they would be notified so they could opt out their children. A year later the policy changed, so parents would no longer be warned.

    A group of Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian parents sued, and a federal district court and a court of appeals ruled against them so they petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreed earlier this year to hear their case. A Washington D.C. nonprofit dedicated to protecting the free expression of all faiths represents the concerned parents and will argue before the nation’s highest court on April 22. Upholding parental rights meant that children would not be subjected to age-inappropriate instruction against their parents’ wishes, but the policy change denies parents the right to decide when their elementary-aged children are exposed to books promoting transgender and queer ideology, attorneys for the group say. “The Board cannot refuse parents who want to opt their children out of instruction that violates their religious beliefs on sensitive matters,” the nonprofit representing the parents further points out, adding that it is “unlawfully coming between parents and their kids and targeting them because of their religious beliefs about gender and sexuality.” That violates both Maryland law and the school board’s own policies as well as the U.S. Constitution, the religious freedom charity asserts.

    In the other case, a high school student about an hour away in Baltimore County was suspended for seven days over his patriotism. The 18-year-old, Parker Jensen, who has enlisted in the military, is a senior at Towson High School and got punished for questioning why all the classrooms in his campus do not have an American flag even though Maryland law says every classroom must have one. When school administrators failed to provide an explanation, Jensen drove to the Baltimore County Board of Education headquarters to ask about the flag violation and district officials called the police on him, according to a local news report. The high school senior was subsequently suspended for seven days. This month Jensen filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County Public Schools claiming that the district violated his Constitutional rights when it suspended him for inquiring about missing American flags in public school classrooms. “He was summarily suspended without any due process whatsoever, which every student in Baltimore County and Maryland has the right to and they stripped him of that within five seconds,” said Jensen’s attorney, who assures the student’s Constitutional rights were violated.

     

    Happy Easter!

    “Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” ~ Clarence W. Hall

    In this season, Christians around the world are celebrating the resurrection of Christ. There are no more powerful symbols of hope than the cross and the empty tomb. From me and mine, I wish you and yours all the joy of Easter! For those celebrating Passover, I wish you a Happy Passover, as well!

    Until next week,

    Source: Judicial Watch

  • Congressmen sound alarm over data privacy following 23andMe bankruptcy

    Three congressmen from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce are raising concerns over data privacy weeks after the genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, putting millions of customers’ personal information up for sale.

    The Republican representatives — Brett Guthrie from Kentucky, Gus Bilirakis from Florida and Gary Palmer from Alaska — sent a letter to 23andMe interim Chief Executive Joe Selsavage on Thursday requesting answers to several questions by May 1.

    The questions revolve around the fate of 23andMe’s genetic database, which includes DNA information from more than 15 million people. The congressmen asked the company how it would protect the data in an event of a sale and how it would vet potential buyers.

    The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    23andMe declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March and received authorization from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to sell substantially all its assets. The company, founded in 2006 and once valued at $6 billion, popularized at-home DNA test kits and spurred a trend of ancestry hunting and amateur criminal investigations.

    But the venture failed to establish a sustainable business model, and as it struggles to stay afloat, experts, customers and government officials are worried genetic information could fall into the wrong hands.

    “Given the lack of HIPAA protections, the patchwork of state laws covering genetic privacy, and the uncertainty surrounding what happens to customer information should a sale of the company or customer data and information transpire, we are concerned that this trove of sensitive information is at risk of being compromised,” the Energy and Commerce letter said.

    Though any buyer of 23andMe must agree to comply with the company’s privacy policy, that policy can be unilaterally changed at any time, according to Sara Geoghegan, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

    “I would be very concerned if I had given a swab to 23andMe,” Geoghegan said. “There is little we can do to control what happens to it.”

    The bankruptcy filing prompted California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to issue a consumer alert urging customers to delete the data they had provided to the company.

    “Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company,” Bonta wrote.

    The 23andMe website crashed following the warning as customers rushed to log in, the Wall Street Journal reported. Thursday’s letter raised the issue, noting that “customers are experiencing issues accessing and deleting their data.”

    Guthrie, Bilirakis and Palmer are the latest government officials to voice concern over the situation. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Federal Trade Commission have also sent letters to 23andMe recently inquiring about data protection.

    23andMe issued an open letter to customers in late March assuring them that their data would remain protected in the event of a sale.

    ___

    © 2025 Los Angeles Times.

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


    Source: American Military News

  • Anambra: Valentine Ozigbo Sues APC, INEC Over Primary Election

    An aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in the Anambra governorship election, Valentine Ozigbo, has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Awka challenging the legality of the April 5 primary election held in the state.

    The suit seeks to nullify Nicholas Ukachukwu’s nomination as APC’s flagbearer and compel the party to recognise him (Ozigbo) as its candidate.

    Filed through his legal team led by Umeh Kalu, and B.C. Igwilo, the suit named the APC, Ukachukwu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

    In an accompanying personal statement titled “For a future worth fighting for”, Ozigbo described the primary election as a “well-scripted illusion.”

    Recall that Ukachukwu emerged as the candidate of the APC with a total of 1,455 votes after defeating his closest rival, Ozigbo, with 67 votes, Johnbosco Onunkwo, 26 votes, and Edozie Mad with eight votes.

    In his statement, Ozigbo said that he has taken the stand, “not for self, but for truth, for justice, and for Ndi Anambra.”

    He said, “On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, I took a consequential step in fighting for truth and justice. I filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the deeply flawed process that purportedly produced Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu as the flagbearer of our great party, the APC, for the November 2025 Anambra governorship election.

    “Let us be clear: the April 5, 2025 exercise was not a primary election—it was a well-scripted illusion.

    “A contrived delegate list filled with names unfamiliar to even the most seasoned party leaders was used for the guber primary. Real APC members were locked out while chaos reigned.

    “No accreditation, no order; just thugs, violence, and a herd of hired hands masquerading as delegates.”

    He alleged that Ukachukwu failed to meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the APC constitution, further accusing him of nonchalance over the crisis that has engulfed the party in the state.

    He added, “The crux of the matter is that Mr Ukachukwu did not qualify to run under the APC in the first place. He failed to meet the minimum threshold for eligibility. And yet, the party machinery was twisted to serve his ambition.

    “Now, Ukachukwu parades himself, declaring the theatre of deceit that April 5 represents as ‘free and fair.’ It is an insult to the intelligence of our people and a stain on the integrity of our party.

    “While he fiddles like Emperor Nero, APC in Anambra is burning. The house is on fire; mass resignations, lawsuits, broken trust, and the so-called candidate dances, oblivious to the smoke and embers.

    “To be clear, I am not desperate for power. I am not asking for favours. I seek only what is just, and what is right.

    “Our aim is not to fracture the party but to fortify it; to restore its integrity, renew its credibility, and secure its future as a vehicle for true democratic leadership.

    “Let history record that when a corrupt process attempted to masquerade as legitimacy, we did not stay silent. We stood up. We spoke out. We acted for justice, for our children, and for the future we all deserve.”

    The Federal High Court in Awka has yet to fix a date for hearing.

    Anambra: Valentine Ozigbo Sues APC, INEC Over Primary Election is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

    Source: The Whistler

  • ACLU claims administration restarting deportations under wartime law

    By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

    The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday asked two federal judges to order the Trump administration not to deport any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law, contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s restrictions on how it can use the act.

    The group has already sued to block deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 of two Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center and is asking a judge to issue an order barring removals of any immigrants in the region under the law. In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan men held there of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang that would make them subject to President Donald Trump’s use of the act.

    The act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration contended it gave them power to swiftly remove immigrants they identified as members of the gang, regardless of their immigration status.

    Source: Paradise Post

  • News of our Boys in the Armed Forces: April 12, 1945

    News of our Boys in the Armed Forces: April 12, 1945

    Published 12:46 pm Friday, April 18, 2025

    Willie B. Barganier, CPhM, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Barganier, Rt 4, Andalusia, has graduated from Training Command Field Medical School for hospital corpsmen. CPhM. Bargainier will be assigned to a Marine Corps combat unit going into the field. Barganier was born Aug. 3, 1920, in River Falls, Al., and graduated from Red Level High School in 1940. He was employed by Andalusia Development Co. before enlisting in the Navy in Oct. 1940. He has served in Pensacola, Fl., Gulfport, Ms., Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Camp; Pendleton, Ca. He was promoted to his present rank of Chief Pharmacist Mate in Sep. 1944.

    Joseph M. Brown, Ensign, U.S. Navy Reserve, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Brown, 317 Dunson St., Andalusia, has recently been commissioned as an officer in the Navy after graduating from the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School, Abbott Hall, Northwestern University, Chicago, Il. After completing the four-month school, he will be assigned to the fleet as a deck officer.

    General Dupree, Staff Sgt., U.S. Army, son of Mrs. Annie Dupree, Lulu, Fl., and husband of Mrs. Valeta Davis Dupree, Rt. 3, Andalusia, has been assigned to the base squadron, First Troop Carrier Command, Pope Field, N.C.

    Arkus M. Bray, Corporal, U.S. Army Air Corps, son of Mr. Henry G. Bray, 205 Barton St., Andalusia, has been promoted to Sergeant. Sgt. Bray is a gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber and has taken part in missions to bomb Giessen, Kiel and other German war production centers. He is a member of the 446th Bomb Group commanded by Col. Troy W. Crawford of El Paso. Tx. This veteran group has completed more than 200 missions as part of Maj. Gen. William E. Kepner’s 2nd Air Division. For 13 straight days in February, the Liberators bombed rail yards, road junctions, weapons storage dumps, communications and industrial systems vital to the German war effort. Before the Allied armies crossed the Rhine, the Liberators bombed enemy supply routes in the area. Sgt. Bray entered the service in Nov. 1940 and received his wings in Harlingen, Tx.

    Lonnie L. Kirkland, PVT, U.S. Army Air Corps, son of Mrs. K.V. Kirkland of Sanford, Al., is a carpenter with the ground echelons at a B-29 base in the Marianas. He and his group have been commended by Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, commander of the XXI Bomber Command: “Your determination, skill, and courage have delivered a stunning blow to the empire of The Rising Sun. Combat crews and hard-working maintenance and staff people are to be heartily commended for their accomplishments during these historic operations.” Throughout eight days of sustained bombing attacks. PVT Kirkland and the ground staff worked night and day, virtually without rest, to keep the Army Air Force bombers in the air striking the enemy. PVT Kirkland entered the armed forces in Dec. 1943.

    Bob J. Willis, Capt., U.S. Army Air Corps, son of Mrs. W.C. Willis, McKenzie, Al., came home to visit his mother and his wife, Mrs. Veralyn Talley Willis, 223 Crescent St., Andalusia. Mrs. Veralyn Willis is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Talley of Andalusia. Capt. Willis has just completed 21 months of service in the Pacific theater, flying transport planes, delivering our troops and supplies to the islands which we have attacked. When he arrived home on Mar. 22,

    he was greeted by his wife and two-year old son. Capt. Willis has been in the service for three and one-half years and says he likes the men who are out there doing their job. He entered service as a cadet and was commissioned as a 2nd. Lt. after nine months. He leaves Monday to report to the Army Ground Forces Distribution Center No. 2, Miami Beach, Fl.

    Corporal Malcon Caton Dies in Pacific Area

    Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Caton of Rt. 3, Red Level, have received a message from the War Department on Apr. 3rd, stating that their son, Malcon Caton, Corporal, U.S. Army Air Corps, died on March 19th on Bick Island. No information as to the cause of death was given. Corporal Caton, who was 26 years old, had been with the ground forces of the Army Air Corps since late 1943. Bick Island is one of the many islands in the Netherland Antilles group. Corporal Caton was a devout Christian and spent much of his time for the betterment of the Church. Just two days prior to his death, he had mailed his mother the sum of $30. Dollars, with a request that it be given to the church where was a member. Mr. and Mrs. Caton have another son, Captain W.R. Caton, U.S. Army Air Corps, who is serving in the European Theater of Operations in Germany. The many friends of the deceased sympathize with his immediate family in their profound loss.

    PFC. Earl R. Mock Missing in Action

    Mr. and Mrs. G.B. Mock, Rt. 1, Red Level, have received a telegram from the Adjutant General of the War Department, stating that their son, Earl J. Mock, PFC, U.S. Army, is missing in action

    since March 4, 1945. PFC Mock entered the service in June 1943 and has been serving in combat with the 30th Infantry Regiment in the European Theater. Since he went overseas in Jan. 1944, has participated in amphibious landings in France. He was wounded on Aug. 24, 1944, and spent four months in a hospital in England. He was returned to his command in Dec. 1944 and has been in combat until the time he was reported missing. PFC Mock was with his unit when they received a Regimental Citation in Jan. 1945. His parents were told that further details or information would be given as soon as received.

    Jack E. Clower Receives Air Medal

    Jack E. Clower, Flight Officer, U.S. Army Air Corps, son of Mrs. G.C. Clower of Marietta, Ga., and husband of Mrs. Martha L. Clower, 315 Dunson St., Andalusia, has been awarded the Air Medal for “exceptionally meritorious achievement while participating in sustained bomber combat operations over enemy occupied continental Europe.” Flight Officer Clower is the copilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress taking part in bombing attacks over Germany. He is a member of the 384th Bomb Group, a veteran unit that has completed more than 300 missions in the European theater. Clower graduated from Andalusia High School and was employed at Brookley Field in Mobile prior to joining the military in 1943.

    — John Vick

    Source: Andalusia Star

  • Cashier at Owens and Xley

    Owens and Xley Consults is a Lagos based company that offers business advisory and consulting services to help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Our Mission is to provide quality insights, tools and resources needed to build a sustainable business.Job Summary

    We are looking for a friendly and reliable Cashier to join our team.
    As a Cashier, you will be the first point of contact for our customers.
    Your role includes handling transactions, providing excellent customer service, and maintaining a clean and organized checkout area.

    Key Responsibilities

    Greet customers and manage transactions efficiently
    Operate the cash register and handle cash, credit, or debit payments
    Issue receipts, refunds, or change as needed
    Maintain a clean and organized checkout area
    Assist with basic store tasks as needed

    Requirements

    Cashier or customer service experience is a plus
    Strong communication and math skills
    Attention to detail and a positive attitude
    Ability to work flexible shifts, including weekends.

    Click Here To Apply

  • Retail Stylist – Nelspruit at Kingsley Heath April, 2025

    Click Here To Apply

  • Priestess and worshippers abducted by gunmen while performing rituals for water goddess in Enugu river

    Kidnappers suspected to be herdsmen have abducted an Ezenwanyi (priestess) and three worshippers at a river in Obehe Orba in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

     

     

    Chijinkem Ugwuanyi, an Enugu media personality, who confirmed the incident said the gunmen also abducted four local farmers in the same community.

     

     

    According to him, the incident happened on Wednesday night, April 16, 2025. 

     

    “The first 4 persons were kidnapped at Ohebe river together with Ezenwanyi, who took them there to perform or do their usual water and #Fanta work and Fulani herdsmen kidnapped all of them before the water goddess. The other 4 persons went for their cashew business inside their cashew farms and they were also kidnapped,” he wrote. 

     

     

    Meanwhile, the kidnappers contacted the families of the victims and demanded a ransom of N50 million but later reduced it to N15million.

     

     

    According to Senator Okey Ezea, representing Enugu North Senatorial District, “Kidnappers and Fulani herdsmen have taken over Enugu North Senatorial Zone including Nsukka.” 

     

     

    Priestess and worshippers abducted by gunmen while performing rituals for water goddess in Enugu river

     

    Source: Linda Ikeji