Today's news in a nutshell
June 27th edition
AUDITS
Arizona AG backs Georgia in face of ‘absurdly partisan’ DOJ lawsuit over election law
Jan 6th
CAPP rally for January 6th detainees, demanding to “Free political prisoners”.
FBI Informants More Likely Than Agents at Jan 6, Former Undercover Agent Says
Border Crisis
Top travel aides for Kamala Harris resign amid Biden border crisis
Top travel aides for Kamala Harris resign amid Biden border crisis
Finance
Cryptocurrency Exchange Binance Banned In The UK
Binance Markets Limited is not approved under the FCA’s cryptocurrency registration regime, which is required for UK groups offering digital asset services. The entity had applied to become a registered cryptocurrency company with the regulator, but pulled that application last month according to two people familiar with the situation. The watchdog confirmed the application had been dropped “following intensive engagement from the FCA”.
The FCA’s focus in deciding whether or not to approve such applications is based on a review of controls and practices to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
CRT
Trump having some fun
MISC
Allison Mack Apologizes to NXIVM Survivors, Asks for No Jail Time: It’s the ‘Greatest Regret of My Life’
Mike Gravel, Unconventional Two-Term Alaska Senator, Dies at 91
The Epoch Times
FBI Informants More Likely Than Agents at Jan 6, Former Undercover Agent Says
Recent inquiries about whether FBI operatives were mixed in among the protesters and intruders who broke into the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 will more likely uncover the presence of FBI informants rather than undercover agents, according to Marc Ruskin, a 27-year FBI veteran and former undercover agent who is also an Epoch Times contributor.
Before he left the bureau in 2012, there were only about 100 undercover FBI agents in the whole country, Ruskin told the Epoch Times. Deployment of each requires a lengthy, “very resource-intensive” operation that needs to be approved on several levels. Even if there was a top-down operation run by the headquarters underway on Jan. 6, it would have been unlikely that any significant number of undercover agents were present, he said.
Informants, on the other hand, would have been much more convenient, needing only some vetting and an assigned handling agent. The bureau uses them regularly and they’re not necessarily aware of each other even if they collect information on the same target, Ruskin said.
He said that during his tenure he hadn’t seen the FBI use informants as de facto “agents provocateur” to incite crimes at a political event, but that he has watched the bureau getting politicized by its leadership and, particularly in recent years, repeatedly breaking its own rules.
Recent reports by Revolver News and other right-leaning outlets have presented a list of clues that raise questions about the FBI’s involvement in the events of Jan. 6, when intruders at the Capitol caused a several-hour delay in the certification of the 2020 presidential election by Congress.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has since run a “shock and awe” operation against the intruders, slapping them with charges that threaten decades in prison. Many have been held behind bars without bail, even placed in solitary confinement. Yet the indictments show that a number of people that seem to have engaged in similar actions on Jan. 6 have somehow escaped prosecution. It’s not clear why, since it doesn’t appear to be a consequence of lacking evidence or plea negotiations, based on the Revolver investigation.
Furthermore, the three organizations that the DOJ alleges played leading roles in planning illegal activity on Jan. 6 are known to have had FBI informants in their ranks. Several members of the Three Percenter militia group, which interprets the Constitution as a license to defy most current federal authorities, were arrested last year for allegedly planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. It turned out FBI informants and undercover agents played key roles in the alleged plot. One of the alleged culprits was also a member of Oath Keepers, a militia group that believes military and law enforcement should defy federal government where it has overstepped its constitutional mandate. Finally, pro-Western men’s club Proud Boys, whose members are known to engage in street fights with adherents of the anarcho-communist Antifa network, has in the past few years been led by Enrique Tarrio, who was recently revealed as a past FBI informant.
Such groups in general have been portrayed by the bureau for years as grave potential domestic terrorism threats.
Jeremy Brown, a former Green Beret and new member of Oath Keepers, recorded a December conversation with two men who said they worked with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The men indicated during the talk that the agency would be interested in Brown becoming an informant.
“I can’t make any promises but, like, if you provide information that prevents something big, the government pays for that,” one of the men told Brown.
Brown said others have contacted him with similar stories after he went public with his story.
The FBI special agent that oversaw the Whitmer kidnapping operation was transferred to the FBI’s District of Columbia office last year, where he is overseeing the Jan. 6 investigations.
As part of its anti-terrorism efforts, especially after the 9/11 attacks, the FBI has been known to target individuals in sting operations where its operatives played key roles. Critics have argued that without the FBI’s involvement, there would never have been a plot to investigate in the first place.
FBI informants and undercover agents can be authorized to conduct some illegal activities as part of their assignments, according to Ruskin.
A Senate investigation into the Capitol intrusion concluded that a number of failures in the intelligence apparatus caused the Capitol Police to be unprepared for what took place. Given the numerous warnings and assurances of preparedness made before the event, how could this have happened?
“What would be shocking and strange is not if the FBI had embedded informants and other infiltrators in the groups planning the January 6 Capitol riot,” commented journalist Glenn Greenwald, who’s been extensively documenting various questionable activities of the national security apparatus, in a recent op-ed. “What would be shocking and strange—bizarre and inexplicable—is if the FBI did not have those groups under tight control.”
Some lawyers and former FBI officials have argued that FBI informants wouldn’t be identified in charging documents as “unindicted co-conspirators” because they would lack the criminal intent requisite for a conspiracy charge. However, there are several problems with this argument.
While some individuals that have escaped prosecution were identified as “unindicted co-conspirators,” some were identified generically as “Person 1,” “Person 2,” etc.
In some cases, the circumstances could be more complicated, according to Ruskin. It’s happened in the past, for example, that an informant was the one inciting the criminal activity he was supposed to monitor. After all, informants are paid for their services.
Also, potential agents or informants aren’t necessarily mentioned in the court documents at all.
Independent journalist Bobby Powell caught on camera two individuals that appeared to engage in illegal activity by the eastern entrance to the Capitol on Jan. 6. One of them was showing people inside the building through an open door, Powell said. The other tore a damaged pane out of a Capitol window and asked Powell why he wouldn’t enter the building through the broken window. The man also physically intimidated a protester who tried to push him away from the window. Both individuals Powell pointed to wore face coverings and some tactical gear. Powell provided his footage to the FBI, but never heard back. It appears the FBI didn’t even put out photos of the men to ask the public for help with identification, even though it did so with hundreds of others. It appears neither individual has been charged.
The FBI had no comment. When contacted, it referred The Epoch Times to the bureau’s previous testimony to Congress regarding Jan. 6.
The FBI and DOJ have in the past been known to play fast and loose with facts when dealing with perceived political enemies of its leadership. Notoriously, officials of both repeatedly pushed falsehoods to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, resulting in illegal spying on the Trump campaign in 2017 as part of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
4,115 Vaccinated People Have Died, Been Hospitalized With COVID-19 ‘Breakthrough’ Infections: CDC
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that more than 4,000 people have been hospitalized or died from COVID-19 “breakthrough” cases.
The agency, in an update late last week, said that 4,115 people have been hospitalized or have died from COVID-19 despite having been fully vaccinated.
The total number of individuals who have died from COVID-19 after being vaccinated is 750, according to the agency. It noted that 76 percent of hospitalizations and deaths from breakthrough cases occurred among individuals over the age of 65.
“As of June 21, 2021, more than 150 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” said the agency in its June 25 update. “During the same time, CDC received reports from 47 U.S. states and territories of 4,115 patients with COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infection who were hospitalized or died.”
Federal health officials downplayed the new data and said they had anticipated breakthrough cases, illnesses, and deaths.
“To be expected,” Dr. Paul Offit, a top advisor to the Food and Drug Administration on children’s vaccines, told CNBC on June 25. “The vaccines aren’t 100% effective, even against severe disease. Very small percentage of the 600,000 deaths.”
The CDC on May 1 announced that it had stopped counting all breakthrough cases and only reports on those that lead to hospitalization or death.
COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, otherwise known as the coronavirus.
It comes as Israeli officials last week said that during a recent outbreak of COVID-19, about half of the adults infected in the recent outbreak were fully vaccinated.
Ran Balicer, who leads an expert advisory panel for the Israeli government, in announcing the finding on June 25, said that the country might end up in lockdown again. Balicer and other officials said that 90 percent of the new cases were caused by the so-called “Delta” COVID-19 variant.
“The entrance of the delta variant has changed the transition dynamics,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
Also last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that nearly 4,000 people who were fully vaccinated have tested positive for the virus.
“We’re learning that many of the breakthrough infections are asymptomatic or they’re very mild and brief in duration,” said Boston University infectious diseases specialist Davidson Hamer, local media reported. “The viral load is not very high.”
And Hamer—like Offit—also downplayed the breakthrough infections, saying they’re to be expected.
“Breakthroughs are expected, and we need to better understand who’s at risk and whether people who have a breakthrough can transmit the virus to others,” Hamer was quoted by local media as saying. “In some cases, they’ll be shedding such low levels of the virus and won’t be transmitting to others.”
Death Toll Rises to 9; Engineer Warned About ‘Major Structural Damage’ Before Condo Collapse
The death toll from the collapse of a condominium tower near Miami, Florida, has risen to nine, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Sunday.
Meanwhile officials released a report from 2018 that included a warning from an engineer about “major structural damage” and the tower needing $9 million in repairs.
More than 150 people remain missing following the collapse on June 24.
Now, a nine-page report from structural engineering firm Morabito Consultants in October 2018 was released (pdf) by the City of Surfside over the weekend, warning about the condition of the concrete structure.
“Abundant cracking and spalling of varying degrees was observed in the concrete columns, beams, and walls. Several sizable spalls were noted in both the topside of the entrance drive ramp and underside of the pool/entrance drive/planter slabs, which included instances with exposed, deteriorating rebar,” said the report. “Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion. All cracking and spalling located in the parking garage shall be repaired in accordance with the recommendations of ICRI [International Concrete Repair Institute].”
A nine-page report from structural engineering firm Morabito Consultants October 2018 was released by the City of Surfside, warning about the condition of the concreted. It included photos of the cracking. (City of Surfside)
Authorities said they harbored hope that the more than 150 people who are unaccounted for may still be alive as firefighters on Saturday were able to sift through the smoldering rubble of Champlain Towers South.
“The biggest thing now is hope,” Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said, according to Reuters. “That’s what’s driving us. It’s an extremely difficult situation.”
Authorities over the weekend identified four of the victims as Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio Lozano, 83; Gladys Lozano, 79; and Manuel LaFont, 54, reported The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said over the weekend that he has spoken to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett and is considering evaluating the nearby Champlain Towers North, regarded as a sister building to Champlain Towers South.
That sister building, the governor told reporters, “was built at the same time and with the same designer.” Previously, DeSantis made an emergency declaration over the collapse, which was then authorized by President Joe Biden.
Rescue personnel work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condo, in Surfside, Fla., on June 25, 2021. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)
In another interview, Burkett told CNN that he has recommended the sister building be evacuated pending a thorough structural investigation.
“Because I don’t think people need to live with the possibility or the thought that their” building may collapse, Burkett added. “It had the same developer, it probably had the same materials, they probably had the same plans, and people are asking me is the building safe, and I can’t tell them it is safe,” he said.
According to the Morabito Consultants report, the release of the 2018 cost estimate followed the earlier publication of another document from the firm showing the ground floor pool deck of the building was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed to be extensively repaired. That report also uncovered “abundant cracking and spalling” of concrete columns, beams, and walls in the parking garage.
The report did not warn of imminent danger from the damage, and it is unclear if any of the damage observed was responsible for the collapse of Champlain Towers South.
A resident of the building sued the owners of the Champlain Towers and alleged the outer walls were not being maintained. Matilde Fainstein filed for damages in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court and alleged the owners “failed to repair or negligently repaired the common elements and the outside walls of the building,” reported Business Insider last week.
And on June 25, what appears to be the first lawsuit related to last week’s partial collapse was filed. The Brad Sohn Law Firm confirmed it is suing the Champlain Towers on behalf of Manuel Drezner and others seeking $5 million in damages.
“According to public statements made by Defendant’s attorney Ken Direktor, ‘repair needs had been identified’ with regard to certain structural issues but had not been implemented; one of the most breathtakingly frightening tragedies in the history of South Florida followed,” said the complaint.
Louisiana Governor Vetoes Gun Law, Retains Concealed Carry Permit Requirement
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have nixed the permit requirement for carrying a concealed handgun.
The governor, a Democrat, said he’s a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an “enthusiastic outdoorsman and hunter,” but he can’t support permitless concealed carry.
“I simply cannot support carrying a concealed carry firearm without proper education and safety training,” he said in a statement. “Our current system strikes the right balance of ensuring that people can bear arms while also keeping reasonable permitting and training processes in place. … Simply put, it is not too much to ask that a person who wishes to carry a concealed weapon in public be required to attend basic marksmanship and safety training so they understand the regulations associated with such an action.”
“For these reasons, I have vetoed the permitless carry bill.”
The bill, Senate Bill 118 (pdf), allows any resident who is 21 years of age or older and who is not prohibited from owning a firearm by state or federal law to carry a concealed gun without a permit. Legally qualified gun owners “shall not be required to possess a valid concealed handgun permit issued by the state of Louisiana … to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Louisiana,” the bill states.
The bill also requires the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to provide a free 60-minute online concealed handgun education course.
The scope of the online training includes sections on concealed handgun basics and nomenclature, firearm-free zones, use of deadly force, and interactions with law enforcement officers.
However, the course isn’t required for concealed handgun carry.
State Sen. Jay Morris, the Republican sponsor of SB 118, told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser that he wasn’t surprised but was still disappointed by the governor’s decision.
“The people of Louisiana want it and hopefully, we will join our neighbors, like Texas and Mississippi, and pass constitutional carry with or without the Governor’s signature,” he said.
The bill was passed in the state Senate and House with bipartisan support. One Democratic senator and seven Democratic House members joined Republicans to vote for the bill.
The legislature appears to have enough votes to override the governor’s veto as it was approved in the state House and the Senate by 73–28 and 27–9 votes, respectively.
State Senate President Patrick Page Cortez and state House Speaker Clay Schexnayder didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time.
It’s unclear if the state Senate and the House will seek to override the veto.
However, Schexnayder said earlier this week that he supports a veto override session after Edwards vetoed an unrelated bill, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported.
The override session—which could happen at the end of July—would be the first one since the new Louisiana Constitutional was adopted in 1974.
The National Rifle Association didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
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