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(12/04/18 6:09pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have reached a fever pitch after Russia made intimidating advances against the country, such as seizing ships and capturing two dozen sailors, according to NBC News.
On Nov. 25, the New York Times and BBC reported that a faction of the Russian navy had moved into the Kerch Strait near the annexed territory of Crimea, and quickly approached the Ukrainian naval ships. The Russian military ships reportedly opened fire on the Ukrainian forces, resulting in six injuries and the seizure of two gunboats and a tug ship. The sailors on board were detained by Russian troops. Russia claimed that the Ukranian ships illegally entered its waters.
The next day, according to NPR, Ukraine’s parliament congregated for an emergency session to vote on imposing martial law in 10 of its provinces to combat Russia’s growing aggression and strengthen its defense. The vote was passed with near unanimous consent from lawmakers, rendering the affected areas under martial law for the next 30 days.
In addition to martial law, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has also urged members of NATO to send ships to Ukraine to help provide more security, BBC reported. However, NATO is reportedly hesitant to send ships to the troubled region, as experts suggest that an increase in presence would heighten tensions.
In a press conference on Nov. 26, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for Russia to back off Ukrainian ports and also threatened the possibility of more sanctions, while reaffirming pleas for cooler heads to prevail.
The U.N. has also held an emergency meeting to address the situation, according to NPR, in which outgoing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said that the seizure of the ships was an “outrageous violation” of U.N. rules and guidelines
In response to the events in Ukraine, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, Nov. 29 to the New York Times and other media outlets through Twitter that a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit had been canceled because of the rising tensions.
“‘Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!’” Trump tweeted on Thursday morning in a two-part tweet, according to the New York Times.
Russia has remained silent on most of the matter, but the Kremlin expressed “regret,” according to The Telegraph, that Trump canceled the meeting but that the country hopes to be back in contact with in the near future once the situation is resolved.
(10/29/18 11:42pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
President Donald Trump stated on Oct. 20 that the U.S. will pull out of a Reagan-era nuclear treaty with Russia that limits the number of missiles both countries are allowed to have, according to USA Today.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed into effect in 1987 between former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty was declared dead by Trump during a question and answer session in Reno, Nevada, according to The Atlantic.
“‘Russia has violated the agreement. They’ve been violating it for many years. And I don’t know why President Obama didn’t negotiate or pull out. And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons, and we’re not allowed to,’” Trump said before boarding Air Force One after the rally in Nevada, according to WhiteHouse.gov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored Trump’s statements, according to BBC. He did add, however, that if the U.S. were to strike, Russia would be sure to strike back.
The reaction was different for U.S. citizens. A poll cited by Vox conducted by Civics Analysis between Oct. 20 and 22 surveyed 5,960 likely voters in the upcoming midterm elections and found that 49 percent of citizens were opposed to ending the deal, while 31 percent wanted the withdraw to happen. The other 20 percent of people polled were unsure of their choice.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg supported the move, agreeing that Russia had violated the treaty on numerous occasions, according to CBS News.
“The treaty is not working if it’s only being respected by one side. The problem, the threat, the challenge is the Russian behavior, which has been ongoing for a long time,” Stoltenberg said, according to CBS News.
Trump has not officially pulled out of the treaty as of Oct. 27, and has no formal plans yet to do so. Russia’s plans, regardless of an official decision, remain unknown.
(10/22/18 11:51pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
Saudi officials confirmed on Friday, Oct. 19 that a Saudi journalist working for the Washington Post was killed at Turkey’s Saudi Consulate on Oct. 2, ending weeks of speculation about the journalist’s whereabouts, according to BBC.
Jamal Khashoggi, a permanent resident of the U.S., went missing after he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2 to retrieve marriage documents, according to The New York Times’ initial story on his disappearance. The reporter was critical of Crowned Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s rule in Saudi Arabia.
A video from the consulate in Istanbul, obtained by The New York Times, shows Khashoggi entering the consulate alone to pick up the supposed documents.
Khashoggi’s fiancée, friends and the Turkish government all reported he was still in the consulate a day after his disappearance, while the Saudi Government reported that the journalist had already left, according to The New York Times.
More information has been revealed to the public that indicates Khashoggi may have been brutally tortured and promptly killed while in the consulate, while Saudi Arabia denied anything to do with the disappearance. A New York Times article published on Oct. 15 reported that Saudis were preparing to say Khashoggi was killed, but were planning to defend the death as a mere “accident.”
A New York Times article reported on Oct. 17 that an audio recording had been given to an anonymous Turkish official, who said it reveals that Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered.
“‘Mr. Khashoggi was dead within minutes, beheaded, dismembered, his fingers severed and within two hours the killers were gone,’” the senior Turkish official said, according to The New York Times.
ABC News reported on Friday, Oct. 19 that, according to the senior Turkish official, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened to a copy of the audio, which picked up screams of Khashoggi as he was reportedly killed. The State Department later declined to confirm Pompeo had heard such a recording, but stated the agency was aware of the situation.
On Friday, Oct. 19, Saudi officials confirmed to BBC and other news outlets that Khashoggi had indeed died at the consulate, but after a fight broke out. Saudi officials denied any foul play in Khashoggi’s death, and announced the arrest of several officials in the consulate.
The Guardian reported that President Donald Trump said on Thursday, Oct. 18, one day before the official announcement, that Khashoggi may very well be dead and warned that if the Saudis had anything to do with his disappearance or death, the consequences would be “very severe.”
“‘It certainly looks that way to me, it’s very sad,’” Trump said before boarding Air Force One. “‘We are waiting for some investigations and some results … of about three different investigations.’”
In another move by the U.S. in response to Khashoggi’s disappearance, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tweeted on Thursday, Oct. 18 that after conversing with Trump and Pompeo, he would not be attending the Future Investment Initiative Summit, an international economic development summit being held in Saudi Arabia later this month.
According to Bloomberg, Republican Congress members have called for sanctions against Bin Salman’s regime.
President Trump is accepting the Saudi explanation, much to the disdain of lawmakers. The U.S. has not announced what actions it will take against Saudi Arabia, if at all, according to The New York Times.
(09/18/18 12:37am)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
A Brazilian far-right presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, was stabbed in the stomach on Sept. 6 at a campaign event in the city of Juiz de Fora, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Bolsonaro is a frontrunner in Brazil’s presidential election this October, according to The New York Times.
A video taken during the campaign rally, which has been widely circulated on the internet, shows Bolsonaro being stabbed by an unknown assailant. The attack took place while Bolsonaro was hoisted on the shoulders of supporters and carried through the streets in celebration of the event, according to the New York Times.
Bolsonaro’s supporters immediately came to his aid. He was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery to stop internal and external bleeding. Doctors noted that Bolsonary was conscious, but in a state of shock due to the life-threatening nature of the injuries, according to The New York Times.
Brazilian authorities stated a 40-year-old was beaten by the crowd shortly after the attack and was arrested by authorities. The man was taken into custody and confessed to stabbing Bolsonaro in the stomach multiple times, according to The Washington Post.
“The perforation reached part of the liver, the lung, and the bowel strap. He lost a lot of blood, came to the hospital with pressure of 10/3, almost dead...His condition now seems stabilized. Pray, Please!” Bolsonaro’s son Flavio tweeted shortly after the attack.
During his controversial campaign, Bolsonaro has openly praised Brazil’s military-style dictatorship, and remarked that the military should have killed more dissidents to the dictatorship, according to Reuters.
Bolsonaro also picked former Army General Antonio Mourao for his running mate. Mourao has warned the government that the military would take over if the courts failed to prosecute and try corrupt politicians, according to Reuters.
The supreme court of Brazil was considering charging Bolsonaro of inciting hate for a statement he made that was considered racist. That charge was thrown out, but the court is still considering whether an additional comment he made against a congresswoman stating that he “Would not have (intercourse) with her because she did not deserve it” would be constituted as inciting rape, according to Reuters.
Bolsonaro’s poll numbers have increased as a result of the incident, leading the field in first-round polls, but showing him losing to opponents in a runoff election. His supporters include Brazilian Evangelicals, who identify with the candidate’s pro-gun and anti-LGBTQ+ views, according to ABC News.
Bolsonaro went into surgery again on Wednesday, Sept. 12 to repair adhesions in his intestinal walls that resulted from the attack. The surgery was reportedly successful and the candidate is recovering well, but it is unknown when he will be allowed back onto the campaign trail, according to Reuters.
(09/10/18 11:57pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
Rob Tibbetts, the father of college student Mollie Tibbetts, who was murdered while on a jog this summer, reached out to political figures and advocates in an opinion piece published in the Des Moines Register on Sept. 1.
In the piece, Tibbetts urged individuals to not exploit his daughter’s death with the intention to “promote racism” or to use her death as a mouthpiece for illegal immigration.
“I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome, But do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist,” Tibbetts wrote.
Mollie Tibbetts went missing on July 18 while jogging near her home in Brooklyn, Iowa.
The suspect in the case, Cristhian Rivera, 24, has been charged with first degree murder. After a month-long search, Rivera was arrested and led investigators to her body in a cornfield just outside of her house, according to the New York Post.
Rivera, who is an undocumented immigrant, claimed he blacked out during the time of the murder.
Rivera was legally employed by an Iowa farm for almost four years before the crime took place. He completed a background check using stolen identification documents, according to the Washington Post.
In a column written by President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., released on Aug. 31 in the Des Moines Register, Trump. Jr argued that Democrats indirectly caused Mollie’s death and opposed claims that Republicans and conservatives were taking advantage of her murder, according to The New York Times.
Trump Jr. said that the Democrats’ “mask was off” and accused Democrats of fighting off policies that would, according to his column, strengthen the borders.
Trump Jr. went on to state the Democrats opt instead for an open-border policy that threatens innocent Americans.
In his plea, Tibbetts wrote that while he appreciated the debate on immigration in America, he requested that Mollie’s death and the family be left out of the discussion, according to the Des Moines Register.
“At her eulogy, I said Mollie was nobody’s victim,” Tibbetts wrote. “Nor is she a pawn in others’ debate. She may not be able to speak for herself, but I can and will. Please leave us out of your debate. Allow us to grieve in privacy and with dignity. At long last, show some decency.”
Tibbetts’ death adds fuel to a nationwide debate on immigration, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and border security in the U.S., causing more strife in an already tense political landscape.
(09/04/18 1:08am)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
A mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida took the lives of three people and injured several others on Sunday, Aug. 26.
The shooter, 24-year-old David Katz, began the rampage inside the Good Luck Have Fun Game Bar, located in the Jacksonville Landing Shopping and Entertainment Complex, according to BBC. Katz became angry after losing a match inside the bar, according to unconfirmed reports.
Elijah Clayton, 21, and Taylor Robinson, 27, were shot and killed shortly after Katz opened fire. The gunman then committed suicide, according to BBC.
A bullet grazed the thumb of player Drini Gjoka, who later tweeted, “I am literally so lucky, the bullet hit my thumb, never going to take anything for granted again,” according to The New York Times.
The shooting was live-streamed on the popular video platform Twitch, which shocked viewers tuning in to watch the tournament. At one point in the stream, which widely circulated on social media, a small laser dot can be seen on a player’s chest before shots ring out and the transmission is cut, according to The New York Times.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams was quoted by The Associated Press, stating that at this time, the motive for the shooting is not completely clear. He also noted that Katz had two firearms in his possession at the time of the shooting, though he only fired one. According to Williams, the gunman legally purchased both weapons in Baltimore from a licensed dealer.
Electronic Arts, the company that owns the Madden NFL game played at the tournament, released a statement, according to TIME Magazine.
“The tragic situation that occured Sunday in Jacksonville was a senseless act of violence that we strongly condemn. Our most heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of the victims whose lives were taken today and those who were injured,” the statement said.
Katz has been hospitalized twice for mental illness, and was prescribed antidepressant drugs, according to The Associated Press.
Katz’s father, as quoted in the court documents obtained by the Associated Press, warned that his mother was “greatly exaggerating symptoms of mental illness as part of (the couple’s) long…custody battle.”
As voters headed to polls in Florida for the state’s gubernatorial primary elections, gun control remained a major issue for residents, according to CBS News.
NBC tweeted a statement from the March for Our Lives Organization, founded by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, “calling for necessary conversations in order to bring peace to our violent nation.”
Investigations surrounding the incident, as well as Katz’s personal life in the months leading up to the shooting, are still ongoing.
(04/02/18 9:08pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
Spain’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of five Catalan politicians on March 23, according to The New York Times. A Spanish Supreme Court Judge signed off on six additional international arrest warrants for former Catalan politicians who fled persecution, including Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia.
Judge Pablo Llarena sentenced five politicians from the Catalonia region of Spain to be detained without bail, in what was an apparent judicial attack to the separatist movement taking place in the region, according to The New York Times.
Puigdemont was arrested in Germany on March 24 while traveling from Denmark to Belgium. He has not yet been extradited back to Spain. He had been living in self-imposed exile after the Catalonian Parliament declared independence from Spain, according to BBC.
After the arrests were announced, violent clashes erupted in Catalonia. At least 89 protesters were left injured, and four arrests were made, according to BBC.
Demonstrators marched and chanted, “Freedom for the political prisoners" and "This Europe is shameful," according to BBC.
Protesters also blocked roads in central Barcelona and Catalonia, according to ABC.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee filed a complaint by announcing that Spain violated Puigdemont’s political rights, according to ABC. The complaint was praised by supporters of Puigdemont and Catalan independence.
“The series of steps taken by the Spanish executive and judicial authorities has rendered it impossible for him to discharge his duties and responsibilities as the democratically elected president of Catalonia,” the complaint stated, according to The Guardian. “As a consequence, the applicant has been forced against his will and under protest to step aside to allow the nomination of an alternative candidate.”
The Committee's lawyers and other human rights experts warn that Spain may have violated human, civil and political rights during the crackdown on Catalonia's separatist movement and subsequent battle to be recognized, according to ABC.
The Spanish government maintains that the Catalan declaration of independence was illegal and violated the Spanish constitution, according to The New York Times. The politicians arrested face a litany of charges including rebellion, which itself carries a 30-year prison sentence.
The independence referendum took place in Catalonia in October 2017, according to BBC. Its effects remain months later as tensions escalate between Catalan secessionists and Spanish nationalists.
(02/25/18 9:38pm)
By Jesse Stiller
Staff Writer
A federal grand jury announced the indictments of 13 Russian nationals and three companies on Feb. 15, following the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to NBC.
The Department of Justice unsealed the full 37-page indictment detailing the charges brought against the nationals and entities, according to The New York Times.
The document charges the indictees with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said that the alleged criminals conducted “information warfare,” according to NBC.
“The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy,” Rosenstein said in a news conference reported by NBC. “We must not allow them to succeed.”
Most of the indictments targeted a company based in St. Petersburg, Russia called the “Internet Research Agency,” according to The New York Times.
The company promoted propaganda meant to sway Americans to vote for then-Republican party candidate Donald Trump, according to The Washington Post.
Richard Pinedo, a 28-year-old man from California, pleaded guilty to identity fraud, according to The New York Times.
Some of Pinedo’s clients are targets of the special counsel inquiry. Court documents show that Pinedo is currently cooperating with Robert Mueller, the head of the special counsel leading the investigation, according to The New York Times.
The Internet Research Agency was able to quickly begin operations on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to push content that often incorporated falsified information. One account, posing as the Tennessee Republican Party, had hundreds of thousands of followers, according to The New York Times.
“Russian efforts to disrupt the 2016 U.S. election, in part by abusing social media platforms, go against everything we at Twitter believe,” said a Twitter spokesman, according to The Washington Post. “Any activity of this kind is intolerable, and we all must do more to prevent it.”
President Trump tweeted a response within hours of the indictments, according to The New York Times.
“Russia started their anti-U.S. campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President,” Trump wrote. “The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!”
These are the latest indictments stemming from Mueller’s investigation, which has already criminally charged numerous Trump associates including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Michael T. Flynn.
The special counsel continues to investigate the extent of the Russian outreach before, during and after the 2016 election, according to The New York Times.