“This ruling does not touch the University’s well-established right to express to all students its sincerely held beliefs about Torah values and sexual orientation,” the group said in its filing at the Supreme Court. At the same time, the filing adds, “it may not deny certain students access to the non-religious resources it offers the entire student community on the basis of sexual orientation.”
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Her probe, launched in February, is centered on the Jan. 2 phone call Trump placed to Raffensperger, in which he urged the Republican to “find” the votes to reverse Joe Biden’s win in Georgia in November 2020. But it could also include other actions from Trump’s allies who sowed doubts about the election results, including testimony his attorney Rudy Giuliani gave at a state legislative hearing.
Willis previously indicated that her office was probing potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with the performance of election duties, conspiracy and racketeering, among others.
In her letter to Brasher, Willis said the DA’s office “has received information indicating a reasonable probability that the State of Georgia’s administration of elections in 2020, including the State’s election of the President of the United States, was subject to possible criminal disruptions.”
Special grand juries, which typically have 16 to 23 members, can’t issue indictments. But they can subpoena witnesses, compel the production of documents, inspect and enter into certain offices for the purposes of the investigation.
Willis said a special grand jury would be beneficial because jurors can be impaneled for as long as prosecutors need and would be focused on the one investigation. The veteran prosecutor said a special grand jury has “an investigatory focus appropriate to the complexity of the facts and circumstances involved.”
A regular Fulton County grand jury is seated for two months. Jurors typically hear hundreds of felony cases before their service ends.
The DA also requested that a Fulton County superior court judge be assigned to assist and supervise the special grand jury in carrying out its investigation and duties.
Willis’ request must be approved by a majority of the county’s superior court judges.
A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Willis recently told the Associated Press that a decision on whether to bring charges against Trump could come in the first half of 2022.
“We’re going to just get the facts, get the law, be very methodical, very patient and, in some extent, unemotional about this quest for justice,” she told the wire service earlier this month.
The move comes at a time when Fulton prosecutors are trying to work their way through a backlog of some 11,000 criminal cases created by the pandemic and, as Willis has alleged, mismanagement by her predecessor Paul Howard.
Some critics believe Willis should be focusing on clearing those cases rather than devoting limited resources to probing the notoriously litigious former president.
To move forward with charges, prosecutors would need to prove that Trump knew his conduct was unlawful when he called Raffensperger and told him “find” the 11,780 votes to overcome President Joe Biden’s win in Georgia.
While some legal experts believe the criminal intent, or mens rea, is there, other defense attorneys believe the case isn’t so cut and dried.
Source Article from https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/breaking-fulton-da-requests-special-grand-jury-for-trump-probe/E5HCDM2P75ETRAEUHBK2Q7L3FY/
A strengthening Tropical Storm Ian was expected to intensify into a hurricane on Monday — and possibly into a high-end Category 4 storm as early as midweek this week.
State of play: Ian was some 355 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba at 2am ET, and its maximum sustained winds had strengthened to 70 mph, up from 45 mph Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. A storm is classified as a hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.
Details: A Hurricane Warning was in effect for Grand Cayman and several Cuban provinces, as the storm moved to the northwest at 13 mph.
- A tropical storm warning has been issued for the lower Florida Keys, from Seven Mile Bridge westward to Key West to Dry Tortugas, as well as several provinces in Cuba.
- A tropical storm watch was in effect for Englewood southward to Chokoloskee in Florida, and the Caribbean islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The big picture: President Biden declared a federal state of emergency for multiple Florida counties on Saturday night, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for the entire state.
What to watch: In its 2am update, the National Hurricane Center said Ian was expected to become a hurricane Monday morning and a “major hurricane” by Tuesday.
- “Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 9 to 14 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of western Cuba in areas of onshore winds in the hurricane warning area Monday night and early Tuesday,” the agency said.
- The National Hurricane Center forecast two to four inches of rainfall from the Florida Keys into the southern and central Florida Peninsula from Monday through Wednesday morning.
Threat level: Studies show an increase in the occurrence of rapid intensification due to human-caused climate change.
- The western Caribbean Sea is a powder keg for hurricanes right now, with high ocean heat content and weak upper-level winds.
What they’re saying: Even if the west coast of Florida doesn’t sustain a direct hit from Ian, “it doesn’t take an onshore or direct hit from a hurricane to pile up the water,” acting NHC director Jamie Rhome said in a Sunday briefing.
- He urged Florida residents to find out if they’re in a likely evacuation zone at FloridaDisaster.org in case evacuations are ordered.
What’s next: The key questions facing forecasters, public officials and tens of millions of residents along the Gulf Coast are where the storm will head once it becomes a hurricane, and how strong it will be once it gets there.
- The computer models have been diverging, with some showing a landfall in northwestern Florida or perhaps southeastern Alabama. Others show a hit much farther east, closer to Tampa.
- Forecast trends since Friday have nudged the most likely track of the center of Ian to the west, closer to the Panhandle region of Florida.
- While the likelihood of significant impacts in South Florida has decreased, it has not entirely disappeared, and the Hurricane Center is urging all Floridians to prepare for storm impacts.
Context: Human-caused climate change is altering the characteristics of nature’s most powerful storms.
- For example, sea level rise from melting ice sheets makes a hurricane’s storm surge more harmful.
This story has been updated with the storm’s strengthening and the latest estimates of when the storm is expected to become a hurricane.
Source Article from https://www.axios.com/2022/09/25/hurricane-ian-intensifies-florida-threat
Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/02/politics/joe-biden-guns-speech/index.html
Cheney: Jan. 6 probe not about stopping Trump from running
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney weighs in on President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s speeches given one year after Capitol riot.
Former Republican President George W. Bush donated to two prominent critics of former President Trump who both voted to impeach him toward the end of his term.
Campaign finance reports, first reported by Politico, show that Bush donated thousands of dollars to Republicans Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Lisa Murkowski in 2021.
Former President George W. Bush, center, stands amongst members of the U.S. armed forces during the playing of the national anthem before the first half of an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
GEORGE W. BUSH SAYS HE REGRETS SUGGESTING ENTIRE GOP IS ‘ISOLATIONIST,’ ‘NATIVIST’
Bush donated the maximum individual contribution of $5,800 to Cheney, whose father Dick served as his vice-president for eight years, last October and gave the maximum available primary donation to Murkowski.
Both Cheney and Murkowski voted to remove Trump from office in response to the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill last year. Cheney is also one of the more vocal members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot.
A spokesman for Bush told PEOPLE that he also donated to Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign as well as the campaign of his nephew George P. Bush, who is running for attorney general in Texas. The younger Bush finished third in fundraising in the GOP attorney general field in the last half of 2021. Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman raised the most money during the reporting period, followed by incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) asks questions during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss reopening schools during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2021. Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS
(Reuters)
Trump has backed primary challengers against both Cheney and Murkowski.
Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman, the leading Republican candidate challenging Cheney, reported this week that she’s hauled in over $1 million in fundraising since declaring her candidacy for Congress less than five months ago.
Cheney reported earlier this week that she raised $7 million last year as part of her reelection push.
In Alaska, Trump has endorsed the state’s former commissioner of administration Kelly Tshibaka in her quest to replace Murkowski in the United States Senate.
FILE – In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., listens to testimony from Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges during the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jim Bourg/Pool via AP, File)
(AP )
“Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska. Her vote to confirm Biden’s Interior Secretary was a vote to kill long sought for, and approved, ANWR, and Alaska jobs,” Trump said in a statement. “Murkowski has got to go! Kelly Tshibaka is the candidate who can beat Murkowski—and she will. Kelly is a fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets.”
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“Get rid of them all,” Trump said in a speech last year regarding Republicans who voted to impeach him during his presidency.
Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/george-w-bush-donated-thousands-trump-impeachment-supporters-cheney-murkowski
Eric Shawn: NATO could bomb Putin’s tanks
Dr. Rebecca Grant says Vladimir Putin could face a stinging response if he decides to invade Ukraine.
President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to talk “significantly” about the situation in Ukraine and Russia during his visit to the White House on Monday, as well as their “shared commitment” in the ongoing diplomatic efforts to encourage Moscow to deescalate tensions and prevent an invasion, a senior administration official said.
The president will welcome Scholz to the White House Monday for his first visit to Washington since being sworn in as chancellor—a visit Biden is “very much looking forward to.”
GERMANY’S SOFT STANCE ON RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TOWARD UKRAINE CONCERNS NATO ALLIES
A senior administration official said the president first interacted with Scholz in October, when it was clear he would succeed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, and said he is looking forward to “getting to know Scholz personally on his first official visit to Washington.”
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the debt ceiling during an event in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 4 in Washington. A California man was arrested in Iowa last week as he was traveling to Washington D.C., after he was found with a “hit list” featuring Biden, former presidents and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The visit, the official said, “illustrates the continued importance that the United States places on the bilateral relationship with Germany.”
The official said that Biden and Scholz would speak “significantly” about Ukraine and Russia. The official said they would discuss their hope for a diplomatic resolution, while also the potential preparation of “robust sanctions” against Russia should President Vladimir Putin decide to invade Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
“We have been coordinating very closely with Germany over the last number of weeks, as w have with other European partners, on the package of swift and severe sanctions we’d put into place in the event of Russian invasion in Ukraine,” the official said. “We welcome the unity we’ve been seeing from allies and partners to join with us in imposing swift and severe sanctions if Russia continues its aggression.”
Scholz, last month, said Germany would help with economic sanctions against Russia in the event of incursion, but said it would not provide “lethal weapons” to Ukraine, leading some to question Germany’s commitment to opposing Russian aggression—particularly amid Germany’s growing dependence on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Pipes for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline are stored on the premises of the port of Mukran near Sassnitz, Germany, on Dec. 4, 2020. (Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP, File)
(Stefan Sauer/dpa via AP, File)
But the official said Germany has been “very supportive” of things the United States has done “militarily” with regard to the Russia-Ukraine situation, adding that Germany has been a “significant donor to Ukraine” in areas like humanitarian assistance, and helped to facilitate additional troops.
A senior administration official, in previewing the meeting, said that the Biden administration has had “extensive conversations with the Germans,” and said they are “confident Germans share our concerns with Russian aggression.”
“We will continue to work very closely with Germany to ensure the pipeline does not move forward,” the official said.
The Nord Stream 2 has seen a faster development and deployment despite sanctions placed on it by the Trump administration. With those sanctions removed, Germany remains keen to see the pipeline activated sooner than later.
RUSSIA PLANNING UKRAINE FALSE FLAG AS PRETEXT FOR INVASION: PENTAGON
Scholz has insisted that the pipeline is a “business project,” according to German outlet DW.
Biden last year removed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, allowing construction and activation to proceed – a move that some Republican lawmakers criticized for strengthening Russia’s position in negotiations with Europe. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pushed for a vote on preemptive sanctions, which Senate Democrats countered with plans to sanction the pipeline only in the event Russia acts on military ambitions in Ukraine.
The White House underscored this stance, telling Fox News Digital that any preemptive legislation would “have undermined our efforts to deter Russia and removed leverage the United States and our allies and partners possess in this moment all to score political points at home.”
“And it would have come at a moment where we need to be closely united with our European partners, including Germany,” an administration spokesperson said. “It makes no sense.”
The plan to allow Russia to develop the pipeline to create leverage in times of political crisis may have backfired as Germany has also rapidly grown dependent on the completion and activation of the pipeline.
Meanwhile, the official stressed that the United States and Germany are “unified” in terms of awareness of further Russian aggression to Ukraine.
“There is absolute agreement that if there is further Russian aggression, then there are things that need to be done,” the official said, referring back to a “large package” of economic sanctions, which they said Germany is “on board” with.
“We are absolutely confident Germany shares concerns about Russian aggression, and shares support for Ukrainian sovereignty,” the official said, adding that the two leaders are “equally committed to trying to make diplomacy work.”
“Certainly, across the board, there is very much unity of purpose and agreement in the to be able to respond either diplomatically or with sanctions, defending on which path Putin chooses,” the official said.
At this point, the Pentagon confirmed last week that the U.S. has intelligence that Russia is likely to “fabricate” a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine.
WHITE HOUSE BACKS AWAY FROM CALLING RUSSIAN UKRAINE INVASION ‘IMMINENT’
U.S. officials believe that Russia is planning to “stage a fake attack by Ukrainian military or intelligence forces against Russian sovereign territory or against Russian-speaking people to therefore justify their action as part of this fake attack,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby explained.
Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened preparedness, as President Biden and his national security officials weighed where to send troops in Eastern Europe to aid Ukraine as part of a broader NATO effort, while Putin threatened incursion.
The 3,000 troops include 2,000 from 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and 1,000 who are currently based in Germany. The troops from Germany will deploy to Romania, the 82 Airborne soldiers will go to Poland, and the 18th Airborne forces will go to Germany.
The Pentagon, on Wednesday, said the forces “are not going to fight in Ukraine,” but instead would “ensure a robust defense of our NATO allies.”
There are already approximately 900 U.S. troops in Romania.
US TO MOVE MORE TROOPS TO NATO’S EASTERN FLANK AMID RUSSIA-UKRAINE SITUATION
The 8,500 troops that Austin put on heightened standby, though, “are not currently being deployed, but remain ready to move if called for the NATO response force or as needed for other contingencies as directed by the secretary or by President Biden,” Kirby said Wednesday.
Last week, top Pentagon officials said the build-up of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border is the largest since the Cold War, and warned that conflict in Eastern Europe would be “horrific,” but stressed that it is “not inevitable,” maintaining that there is “still time and space for diplomacy,” as the Kremlin continues to threaten further incursion in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the White House, on Wednesday, backed away from its characterization that Russia’s invasion into Ukraine is “imminent,” saying officials “still don’t know” if Putin has “made a decision” on incursion.
Russia has denied it intends to launch an attack. Russian officials said NATO must promise not to allow Ukraine to join the alliance, among other demands, which the United States and NATO have rejected.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya on Monday slammed the West, claiming it is trying to will a Ukrainian war into existence.
Meanwhile, official said Biden and Scholz are also expected to discuss their continued cooperation on ending the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing climate change, and protecting economic prosperity and security. The two leaders are also expected to discuss China—including human rights abuses in the country.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-to-welcome-german-chancellor-scholz-to-white-house-discuss-russia-ukraine-situation