Author: Reporter

TSA raising fines after finding record number of guns on passengers at checkpoints and in carry-ons

The federal agency tasked with screening passengers before they get on planes says officers this year have stopped a record number of guns brought by passengers attempting to go through airport security checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration said in a news release Friday that officers have stopped 6,301 firearms so far this year, and the agency is anticipating that number will rise to 6,600 by the end of the year. That is nearly a 10% increase over last year, which was already a record, the agency said. Nearly 90% of the weapons caught so far were loaded, the agency...

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January 6 panel prepares to unveil final report on Trump’s criminal involvement in violent insurrection

An 800-page report set to be released on December 22 by House investigators will conclude that then-President Donald Trump criminally plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat and “provoked his supporters to violence” at the Capitol with false claims of widespread voter fraud. The resulting January 6, 2021, insurrection of Trump’s followers threatened democracy with “horrific” brutality toward law enforcement and “put the lives of American lawmakers at risk,” according to the report’s executive summary. “The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed,” reads the report from the House Jan....

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House Republicans already preparing an onslaught of political investigations for new session

House Republicans are promising aggressive oversight of the Biden administration once they assume the majority next year, with a particular focus on the business dealings of presidential son Hunter Biden, illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and the originations of COVID-19. Republicans will not have enough votes to advance key legislative priorities if there is no Democratic buy-in, but their oversight of government agencies could put Democrats on the defensive and dampen support for the Biden administration going into the 2024 presidential elections. Some of the lawmakers expected to lead those investigations once House Republicans select their new committee...

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President Zelenskyy thanks America for making Ukraine stronger to defend against Russia’s tyranny

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on December 21 that “against all odds” Ukraine still stands, as he paid a defiant wartime visit to Washington to thank U.S. leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support in fighting off Russia’s invasion. He pledged there would be “no compromises” in trying to bring an end to the war. Delivering an impassioned address to Congress aimed at sustaining support for his country’s defense, Zelenskyy called the tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic assistance over the past year vital to Ukraine’s efforts to beat back Russia and appealed for even...

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Months in the making: An elaborate plan for President Zelensky’s daring wartime trip to Washington

The idea of a daring wartime trip by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington had percolated for some time before the surprise visit was revealed just hours ahead of the Ukrainian president’s arrival. During an October summit in Zagreb, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed with her counterpart in the Ukrainian parliament the prospect of Zelenskyy addressing the U.S. Congress. Biden administration officials had similarly for months talked with Ukraine about a Zelenskyy visit to the White House, hoping for one before year’s end to send an unmistakable signal of support ahead of a brutal winter that could deepen Russian President Vladimir...

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2022 Notebook: Journalists share experiences of reporting on the front lines as Russia invades Ukraine

After a year of Russian troop buildup, diplomatic wrangling, and months of consternation of will he or won’t he, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military invasion of Ukraine. Despite the buildup, the move shocked the world, and journalists working for the Associated Press in Ukraine and in Russia found themselves at the center of the biggest story of the year. MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, videojournalist in Ukraine: As a teenager growing up in Ukraine in the city of Kharkiv, just 20 miles from the Russian border, I learned how to handle a gun as part of the...

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