In The News Today: 5/16/2022

US News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion and Video Post.

US News:

Durham, Sussmann legal teams agree on 38 possible jurors, trial could start by Tuesday

By afternoon recess, 38 potential jurors were confirmed, from which 12 jurors will be chosen for the trial as well as four alternate jurors.

Potential jurors were questioned about their donations to 2016 presidential campaigns and if they would be able to set aside their views of both political parties’ candidates and judge the case fairly.

The defense has 10 peremptory strikes to use on those of the 38 possible jurors who are not alternates while the prosecution has six. Each side will also have two strikes to use for alternate jurors.

The trial, taking place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is Durham’s first in his probe into the origins of the now-discredited Trump-Russia collusion narrative that began in 2019.

Michael Flynn files $50 million claim against feds in prelude to lawsuit over Russia probe

The notification, known as a Form 95 Civil Claim, obtained by Just the News, was filed Feb. 22. It names the DOJ, FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C., Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office and the Executive Office of the President as potential defendants and alleges former President Barack Obama and the FBI had a vendetta against him that biased their actions.

“Of all of President Trump’s appointees, the Obama White House hated Flynn the most,” the filing noted as it laid out a long list of irregularities in his case it said proved political interference inside the FBI.

Beginning in July 2016, “the FBI began to express disdain for candidate Donald J. Trump and began to consider ways in which it could hamper Donald Trump as candidate or as President, were he to win the 2016 election,” the filing alleges.

LISTEN: ‘Cosmic horror.’ NASA pinpoints terrifying ‘sounds’ echoing from distant black hole

The unsettling “sounds” of a black hole can finally be heard thanks to new NASA technology, and listeners are calling the result hypnotic and downright “terrifying.”

NASA posted a 34-second recording on YouTube May 4, explaining the source of the sinister recording comes from deep within the Perseus Galaxy Cluster, some 250 million light years from Earth.

“The popular misconception that there is no sound in space originates with the fact that most of space is essentially a vacuum, providing no medium for sound waves to propagate through,” NASA reported.

“A galaxy cluster, on the other hand, has copious amounts of gas that envelop the hundreds or even thousands of galaxies within it, providing a medium for the sound waves to travel.”

Chicago Mayor Imposes Weekend Curfew for Teens After Downtown Shootings

“Young people are absolutely welcome downtown, but in the evening hours they must be accompanied by a responsible adult,” Lightfoot said on Monday after she announced the 10 p.m. curfew. The fatal shooting occurred on Saturday in Millennium Park during a weekend that saw 33 total shootings, 5 of which were fatal.

Hundreds of teenagers gathered in the Chicago Loop over the weekend, in a chaotic scene that halted traffic and saw some jump up on top of cars.

Police superintendent David Brown said the crowds appear to have coordinated their efforts on social media. Twenty-six minors and four adults were arrested in connection with the Millennium Park shooting, and police found seven guns among the arrestees.

Chicago in 2021 had its deadliest year in a quarter century, with 797 homicides recorded.

Pfizer vaccine’s protection against Omicron drops as soon as three weeks after third dose: Study

Researchers said that the antibody responses induced by a second and third dose of the vaccine were “transient” and that “additional booster doses may be necessary,” although the vaccine still provides enough immunity to ward off hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

The Danish study, which was published in JAMA Network Open on Friday, examined 128 people who had received two or three doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine.

Scientists observed that the number of “neutralizing” antibodies induced by the vaccine that target the Omicron variant declined rapidly within weeks of taking the second and third shots. 

Mothers’ Refuge | Full Measure

Nearly 50 years after the Supreme Court decided women have a constitutional right to terminate their pregnancy, things may be about to change.

A leak of a draft decision obtained by Politico suggests the Court will soon overturn that case and return decisions on abortion to each state.
Across the country, states have been busy passing legislation to either limit or protect abortion rights.
Texas already adopted a ban on most abortions after about six weeks.

Amid the heated debate, one couple near Dallas is approaching the issue from another angle, as Scott Thuman reports.

NYC man pistol-whipped repeatedly during broad daylight mugging, video shows

Police in New York City are searching for a robbery suspect after video captured him pistol-whipping another man during a broad daylight mugging on Friday.

The victim, a 24-year-old male, was walking home when an unknown man approached him from behind, according to authorities. During a physical struggle, police said the suspect pulled out a firearm. 

Video footage shows the struggle between the two men. The suspect is seen striking the victim in the head multiple times with the firearm. The suspect knocks the victim to the ground and continues to hit the victim over the head with the gun.

Fairfax Public Schools consider rule suspending students for ‘malicious misgendering’

The school board of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Fairfax, Virginia, is reviewing updated rules that could potentially expose students to suspension or expulsion for “maliciously misgendering” their peers based on “frequency and intensity.”

The Fairfax County Public Schools Students Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) handbook, which will be voted on May 26, includes in its updated version rules that make “malicious deadnaming” and “malicious misgendering” of classmates a Level 4 offense, which allows for a suspension up to 5 days “if frequency and intensity are present,” according to page 19 of the document.

“Using slurs based upon the actual or perceived gender identity” is forbidden under the rules of the document, “which includes, but is not limited to, malicious deadnaming or malicious misgendering.”

Hero pastor attacks church gunman with chair to thwart shooting

The attack took the life of at least one congregant and injured five.

Former Pastor Billy Chang was visiting his previous congregation at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday when a gunman entered the church and began shooting at luncheon-goers.

Chang jumped into action and grabbed a chair, striking the suspect and helping to subdue him.

Churchgoer Jerry Chen told the outlet that he heard the shots ring out from another room.

Chen said that as the suspect stopped to reload his gun, Chang deftly grabbed a chair and swung at the unnamed man.

Other parishioners at that time quickly entered the fray and were able to tackle the suspect and hog-tie him with an extension cord.

Fulton County Jail worker on the run after attempting to smuggle in illegal items, sheriff says

TreQuera Lashell Ford, 24, is wanted for numerous drug charges, obstruction, and fleeing or attempting to elude police.

Deputies said Ford admitted to the guard stationed at the security checkpoint that she had smoke marijuana before her shift after he recognized the smell. The guard was about to have her go through the security checkpoint procedures when deputies said she told the guard she forgot something in her car, rushing off and leaving her personal belongings there.

Once checked, deputies said they found 192 grams of marijuana in the bag, along with 20 grams of suspected crack cocaine, 200 cigarettes, and loose tobacco. The jail is a tobacco-free zone and cigarettes are considered contraband, the sheriff said.

FDA moving to allow baby formulas intended for other countries to be used in US

“Over the weekend, one of the things that we worked on continuously was putting forth a set of rules that would enable the use of formula that was intended for other countries, some of it even manufactured in the US intended for other countries,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told CBS News when asked whether Americans struggling to find formula should be able to buy alternatives from European manufacturers.

The FDA commissioner told CNN in a separate interview that he expects further details on the plan to be released by the agency by the end of the day on Monday.

“Over time, they should have a big effect because we’ll have access to a lot more formula from different manufacturers,” Califf said of the new measures. “This will gradually improve over a period of a few weeks, but we really do anticipate that within a few weeks, we’ll have things back to normal.” 

Rumble Video:Rep. Kat Cammack exposes formula stockpile at border amid nationwide shortage

Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., shares details about the baby formula stockpiles she saw at the southern border and assesses the cause behind the shortage.

Politics:

Kamala Harris’ recent speech was a ‘load of nonsense’

Sky News host James Morrow says one of US Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent speeches was a “load of nonsense”.

At the ASEAN summit, Ms Harris used the phrase ‘work together’ multiple times while speaking about the climate crisis.

“Literally, it is a bunch of post-it notes taken off the wall at a corporate retreat where they’re trying to figure out the mission statement for a company that nobody knows what they do,” Mr Morrow told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Biden approves sending US Special Operations troops to Somalia

The decision comes alongside approval of a Pentagon request for standing authority to target about a dozen suspected leaders of the al-Shabab terrorist group that operates inside the east African country’s borders, the official said. 

It also comes after the Pentagon announced in December 2020 that the “majority” of U.S. troops previously stationed in Somalia would be removed from the Horn of Africa in early 2021. 

The nearly 700 U.S. soldiers stationed in Somalia would not necessarily be coming home, but rather posted in neighboring countries or other regions, Pentagon officials said at the time. 

Rep. Cammack: Democrats are playing ‘catch up’

Florida Rep. Kat Cammack calls the Biden administration ‘irresponsible’ for not prioritizing American children.

Liz Cheney: House GOP Leadership ‘Has Enabled White Nationalism, White Supremacy, and Anti-Semitism’

On Monday morning, Cheney sounded like Nancy Pelosi as she tweeted a prime Democrat talking point: “The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism. History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.”

The furor arose over a Stefanik ad that said: “Radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION. Their plan to grant amnesty to 11 MILLION illegal immigrants will overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington.”

The Democrats’ response to this is to claim that it’s a racist thing to say and all about white nationalism; Democrat leaders have never addressed the actual claim or explained why they are so avid to erase the Southern border and bring so many illegal migrants into the country.

If it isn’t to secure for themselves a permanent electoral majority, what is it for?

MTG Goes NUCLEAR On Congress For Spending $40 Billion On Ukraine While Babies Run Out Of Food

California has sold its ‘soul’ to the Democratic progressive left: Terrel

‘The Big Sunday Show’ panelists weigh in on President Biden’s worsening inflation in America.

Are votes being compromised?

Many Americans are questioning if there are glitches in the current voting system. With mail-in ballots becoming the norm, many fear if the midterms will be fair. One America’s Natasha Sweatte has more.

Ariz. AG candidate calls on ‘True the Vote’ to release 4M minutes of video footage

The film “2000 Mules” has sent shockwaves throughout the political landscape by showing real criminal and fraudulent activity surrounding the 2020 election. One America’s Daniel Baldwin has more.

World News:

Blast in Karachi; at least one killed, 10 injured

The blast reportedly damaged several parked vehicles including motorbikes, rickshaws and a police van. 

The explosion took place in the heavily populated area of the city known to be a business hub with traders dealing in goods, textiles and hardware.

The exact nature of the blast is still unknown. 

Last week a powerful blast occurred in Karachi’s Saddar area killing at least one person and injuring 13 others. Several cars were also damaged during the blast as an emergency was imposed in public hospitals in Karachi.

A similar blast had hit the city in April after a suspected female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers outside the Karachi university.

Ukraine Claims Success In Pushing Russian Troops Around Kharkiv Back To Border

“The 227th Battalion of the 127th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Kharkiv Armed Forces drove out the Russians and went to the state border,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry statement said in a statement posted on Facebook on May 16.

Ukraine’s claim could not be immediately verified, but it comes four days after British intelligence said local forces had launched a counterattack against “vulnerable” Russian troops in an attempt to push them back across the border. Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second-largest city.

“The withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kharkiv Oblast (Region) is a tacit recognition of Russia’s inability to capture key Ukrainian cities where they expected limited resistance from the population,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a daily briefing on May 12.

Four new cases of monkeypox identified in the UK, bringing total to seven

Three of the cases have been detected in London, and one in the north-east of England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Monday. It is working to find links between the latest four cases, which all appear to have been contracted in the capital.

Common contacts have been established between two of the four people who have caught the virus.

Those needing care are being treated in specialist infectious disease units at the Royal free hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London, and the Royal Victoria infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne.

These cases do not, however, seem to be connected to the previous confirmed cases of monkeypox in the UK announced on 14 May, nor the first UK case announced on 7 May, which has led to concerns that there has been community transmission of the virus.

Police: Clashes at funeral march in the Old City [VIDEOS]

Hundreds of lawbreakers and rioters throw stones, rods and objects, shoot fireworks and try to harm police forces on the spot.

A number of policemen were lightly injured as a result of the stone-throwing, and the forces responded by dispersing the riots and working to repel the riots and disperse them.

We will continue to act resolutely and with a heavy hand against those lawbreakers and violators who have turned a companion into a show of unbridled violence.

Syria blames IAF for deadly strikes; Israel mourns passing of UAE leader – TV7 Israel News 16.05.22

1) Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett highlights Israel’s ongoing resolve to protect its citizens.

2) Unidentified aircraft conduct a number of separate bombardments across Syria – resulting the death of at least five Syrian troops.

3) Israel mourns the passing of the late Emirati founding-President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Ukraine strikes deal to evacuate around 50 wounded fighters from Mariupol Azovstal factory

The official did not reveal where the fighters are heading, only saying they are not going to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. 

But Russia’s Defense Ministry said “a humanitarian corridor has been opened through which wounded Ukrainian servicemen are being taken to a medical facility in Novoazovsk,” according to Reuters. 

“An agreement has been reached on the removal of the wounded,” it added. 

On Sunday, Natalia Zaritskaya, the wife of a member of the Ukrainian Azov Battalion – which is defending the steel factory – said the soldiers “are in hell” and that “they receive new wounds every day.”

Commentary/Opinion:

Facts PROVE conservatives are NOT to blame for Buffalo

Long gone are the days when a tragedy united Americans.

Now it seems that media pundits, politicians, and professional Tweeters can’t wait to twist any kind of tragedy to fit their preferred political agenda.

So, Glenn breaks down the actual FACTS about the shooting in Buffalo, New York:

What the perpetrator said he believed, why stricter gun laws could NOT have prevented this, and why it’s a LIE that conservatives are to blame for this man’s racist act…

Liz Cheney Blames GOP After Buffalo Shooting

Rep. Liz Cheney says GOP enables “white nationalism, white supremacy, and antisemitism” in a tweet after the fatal shooting in Buffalo, New York.

“It’s OUTRAGEOUS!” Megyn Kelly on the Gross Rush to Politicize Horrific Buffalo Mass Shooting

Megyn Kelly breaks down the horrific mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, the background of the lunatic who committed the crime, and the horrific media response to instantly try to blame one side.