1/2 #Seattle police chief @carmenbest now says it's taking police 3x as long to respond to calls re: potential crimes because of the CHAZ.
"If that is your sister, your mom, your cousin, you're neighbor's kid that is being raped, robbed assaulted, and otherwise victimized...
2/2 ...you're not going to want to have to report that it took the police 3x longer to get there to provide services to them. #Seattle#chazseattle
3/3 That response lag "could prevent someone's life [from ending] + prevent a violent attack." Most marginalized communities are waiting that extra time, she said. "The SPD stands open + ready to engage in dialogue and action abt how we can address inequalities and racism."
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BREAKING: Sources within the Secret Service community tell me the agent assigned to VP Kamala Harris was armed during the fight - that the gun was secured in the agent's holster until other agents physically restrained the agent and took the gun from the agent's possession.
I'm also told there are DEI concerns among the USSS community about the hiring of this agent. Other agents and officers within the USSS are asking questions about the agent's hiring process, whether the USSS did enough to look into the agent's background and monitor the agent's mental well-being because there have been widespread concerns about other strange behavior before this incident. For now, I am also withholding the agent's name.
Other details: Sources say the agent in question was acted erratically upon showing up for a traveling shift at Joint Base Andrews. The agent ended up tackling the Senior Agent in Charge of the VP detail, got on top of him and started punching him. At this point, I'm told, the agent who was attacking the SAIC did indeed have a gun, but it was in the holster. Other agents are expressing relief that the agent did not shoot the SAIC.
Here are the full details about the woman Secret Service special agent on Vice President Kamala Harris’s protective detail who assaulted her superior and was restrained and had her gun removed before being relieved from duty. It is unclear whether she is on administrative leave, the agency’s common practice while investigating behavioral incidents. A USSS spokesmen did not answer my question on that.
“Sen. Kelly himself has first-hand knowledge of #China’s interest in near-#space balloon technology. He co-founded a balloon space-exploration company named World View in 2012. Just 2 yrs later, he helped facilitate investments for it from Chinese tech giant Tencent, #spyballoon
At first, Sen. Kelly's balloon firm was marketed as space tourism for civilians but switched to NASA and DoD work.
The company said it was cleared by the U.S. Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency, but DCSA told me it suspended the clearance in Jan. 2020.
In this story from 7/21, I reported on the controversy regarding whether the Penn Biden Center and Biden's $1M+ "professorship" at Penn could have been funded -- at least in part -- by Chinese donations.
U. Penn pres. said Penn never “solicited any gifts for the Penn Biden Center” b did not say if the U. directed any Chinese funds to the center.
In 2020, the Phil. Inquirer reported Penn received at least $258M in foreign $ - $68M from Chinese entities. inquirer.com/business/unive…
In 2015, the university established the Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing, which the u. calls “an imp. hub through which Penn students and faculty can further grow exchanges with China.”
A u. web page spotlights a Gutmann visit to the center at “an evening in Beijing” event.
.@IRFSummit International Religious Freedom Summit co-chairs @SamuelBrownback and @LantosSwettK condemn the $500,000 bounty put on Enes Kanter Freedom @EnesFreedom by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s govt.
“We are appalled that the Turkish government has labeled Enes Kanter Freedom a ‘most wanted’ terrorist and put a bounty on his head. It is flatly unacceptable that any govt would openly target and endanger Enes — a courageous human rights activist and American citizen..."
Kanter Freedom will appear on a panel Jan. 31 at the @IRFSummit
“We cannot sit by while he is on the receiving end of Turkey’s blatant trans-national repression."
Enes’ advocacy for the persecuted + oppressed has made him an integral part of the broader human rts community..."
"Ortega has allowed Russian military activity in Managua...He has posted military hardware from #Russia, including t T-72 tanks, and Russia's Tu-160 Blackjack bombers..."
More from Acevedo: "Back in the late '90s, early 2000s the Russians had a spy facility in Lourdes, Cuba, and many members of Congress in a bipartisan fashion worked with the State Dept...to kick out the Russians from Cuba. And we were successful in that endeavor."
.@ChuckGrassley in "strongly" opposing Garcetti for amb. to #India, laces into him over his claim he didn't know that his top staffer was sexually harassing people.
"For mayor Garcetti to claim he didn't know what was going on, defies reason."
Grassley points to a photo of a group that includes Garcetti in which the staffer, Rick Jacobs, is making a lewd gesture.
He stresses that his investigation into the matter talked to 19 credible witnesses who either witnessed Jacobs' behavior or were victims of it.
These accusers aren't partisan with an ax to grind, Grassley said. Instead, they include Garcetti's former comms director, senior staffers, jr. staffers, civic leaders, and a LA police officer, who is suing the city over the harassment.