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☆ Members of congress say they are unable to receive classified information as Kevin McCarthy loses 6th vote to become House speaker in 2 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress are speaking out about the myriad issues caused by the House speaker vote. Following Rep. McCarthy's sixth failed bid on Wednesday, there are zero sworn members of Congress. There are currently no members of the Congress, as swearing-in ceremonies have been delayed while the quest to elect a House speaker has dragged on. And on Wednesday, several members of Congress said that the procedural hold-up and GOP infighting have restricted their access to classified information and key national security intel. By Wednesday evening, McCarthy had failed in six consecutive bids to become House speaker.

☆ AOC says she was telling Matt Gaetz the Democratic Party would 'absolutely not' rescue Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid when they were spotted chatting on the House floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Cheryl Teh | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted chatting with Matt Gaetz on the House floor on Tuesday. "McCarthy was suggesting he could get Dems to walk away to lower his threshold," Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept. Ocasio-Cortez added to Semafor that she told Gosar the same thing she told Gaetz: that her party would not be helping McCarthy out. Rebuking both Gosar and Gaetz, Greene tweeted on Tuesday that "making plans with Democrats is not what any Republican should be doing." Representatives for Gaetz, Gosar, Greene, and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Trump appears to be on the fence about Kevin McCarthy endorsement, says 'we'll see what happens' after 3 failed rounds of votes for House speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to gain the votes to become House majority speaker on Tuesday. McCarthy failed to gain the necessary 218 votes three times at the outset of the 118th Congress. Later, key ally Donald Trump declined to say whether he stood by his endorsement of McCarthy. McCarthy did not amass enough votes from his Republican colleagues at the outset of the 118th Congress, with 19 GOP members voting against his effort to become speaker of the GOP-led House. In December, Trump encouraged GOP holdouts to rally around McCarthy, accusing them of playing a "very dangerous game."

☆ Zelenskyy made a secret phone call to Mitch McConnell urging him to pass a provision that would give Ukraine the seized fortunes of Russian oligarchs: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the US last week to shore up support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy called McConnell one day before the visit, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Zelenskyy urged McConnell to support a measure that ultimately passed Congress, the outlet reported. The approval of the measure may have had something to do with a secret phone call between Zelenskyy and Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Representatives for McConnell and Zelenskyy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ A Florida crypto entrepreneur bragged in the middle of his January 6 testimony about his 'legs day' personal record at the gym
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Crypto advocate Samuel Armes had an eventful interview with the January 6 committee in July 2022. In the middle of being grilled about who authored the document, Armes ended up on the floor with a leg cramp and then bragged about how much weight he had just lifted. "Sorry, I'm cramping," Armes told Rep. Zoe Lofgren during the virtual interview, per the transcript released on December 23. He acknowledged in the interview with the committee that elements of his plan were used in the lengthier "1776 returns" document he was shown. "I ended up sharing it with her on a Google Drive," he told the committee, referring to Flores.

☆ Ukraine is offering residents cash and free train rides to evacuate Kherson as Russian shelling intensifies in the city
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kherson, Ukraine, has been under a barrage of missile and rocket fire by Russian troops. Ukrainian officials are sounding the alarm, offering cash and rides for residents to leave. Six weeks ago, Ukrainian forces regained control of the southern region. In one of the most intense periods of shelling since Ukraine regained control of Kherson last month, Russian forces hit Kherson over the Christmas weekend, killing at least 10 people, and struck a maternity ward this week. Ukrainian authorities are now offering money and transportation for the remaining locals to leave, according to The New York Times.

☆ GA Sec of State Brad Raffensperger said his office ghosted Lindsey Graham after the senator questioned the state's recount during the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ghosted Sen. Lindsey Graham in November 2020. In a newly-released transcript, Raffensperger said Graham made an odd request during Georgia's recount. During the call with Graham, Raffensperger said that there hadn't been an outright ask to find additional votes like Trump requested in January 2021 but maintained the conversation was ominous. In January 2021, Raffensperger was asked by former President Donald Trump to "find" 11,780 votes to overturn the state's 2020 election results, a move which Raffensperger said led to months of death threats to him and his family. In an interview with Insider, Raffensperger maintained that election misinformation was the biggest threat to democracy in the US.

☆ Former WH aide says Trump allies helped deliver a ‘dolly of boxes’ full of what may have been classified intelligence documents to the Situation Room in the final days of Trump’s presidency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former WH aide detailed the flow of intelligence documents to the Situation Room during Trump's last days. In a new transcript, she described how Trump allies including Meadows sought boxes of documents from congress. "On December 31st — or December 30th — we got all the documents, Hutchinson told the committee in a May 17, 2022 interview. "And why would they need to bring them to the White House to look into them?" "I don't know," she answered, maintaining that she never took part in the meetings between the White House officials and Republican allies, despite her top security clearance.

☆ Trump WH aide said it was ‘painfully obvious’ when Trump wrote his own tweets because of ‘the capitalization of letters’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The January 6 committee released a new trove of transcripts on Thursday. Among them was an interview with former White House communications aide Sarah Matthews. Matthews shed light on her process for figuring out which tweets Trump sent out himself. Ultimately, in the February 8, 2022 interview, she told the committee that it was "painfully obvious" when Trump decided to tweet on his own. "The phrasing of it, the capitalization of letters," she continued, adding that Scavino's drafted tweets were "more grammatically correct."

☆ 5 symbolic moments you may have missed from Zelenskyy's White House visit and historic address to Congress, from his green sweatshirt to quoting FDR
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a historic address to Congress on Wednesday. Zelenskyy made multiple comparisons to World War II and American history during the speech. There were also a few symbolic aspects to Zelenskyy's visit, as well as similarities to historic events. Pelosi also gifted Zelenskyy with a flag — an American flag that flew over the Capitol on Wednesday — in honor of his visit. Comparison to the Battle of the Bulge and Battle of SaratogaZelenskyy again made a comparison to America's role in World War II, invoking the Battle of the Bulge.

☆ Zelenskyy wore a chic, casual sweater to his meeting with US President Biden and address to Congress. Here's why he wears it, and why it's sold out everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a daring visit to Washington, DC on Wednesday. Along with his message to the US, Zelenskyy brought his signature look: an olive green fleece sweater. The Ukrainian president also shared a special message of praise with Biden from a Ukrainian soldier and requested further aid from Congress. And as he delivered the speech, he was sporting another M-TAC sweater, the US clothing company that makes Zelenskyy's signature olive green fleece sweaters. "I loved the fashion choices," Gaetz said, according to The Dispatch, which added that his position on Ukraine aid was not swayed.

☆ Mar-a-Lago guests were partying and taking dips in the pool only 60 feet away from classified docs, per new New York Times investigation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

According to The New York Times, Trump stored many of the documents in half-open storage rooms. Boxes of documents were stored between beach chairs and umbrellas in storage rooms near the resort's central patios and outdoor spaces used to host events. Guests were only sixty feet away from the documents at times, according to a sweeping visual investigation by The New York Times, which shed light on the nature of the storage of government documents that included some marked "classified." According to the Times, Trump hosted at least 50 political events in the first 19 months after leaving office. Less than 60 feet away from the White and Gold Ballroom, where event attendees spilled out onto an awning, multiple storage rooms were used to stash the documents.

☆ It's been a decade since the Sandy Hook shooting. Here are the names and pictures of the 27 victims, including 20 children, who were murdered that day.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Michal Kranz | Rebecca Harrington | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twenty children and six staff members were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. It was the deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school in US history. The 20-year-old gunman also killed his mother that day and shot himself after the massacre. "Sad for the searing loss, that hurts like hell every Dec 14th for those parents, my friends. Here are all 27 people killed in the deadliest elementary school shooting in US history.

☆ Meet 41-year old Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump-nominated Floridian who will pick the special master to weed through the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Judge Aileen Cannon recently reversed a big win that she had handed Trump's defense team. Judge Aileen Cannon gave her confirmation testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee over Zoom on July 29, 2020. There, she prosecuted cases involving narcotics, fraud, firearms, and immigration cases, according to her Senate confirmation document. Cannon during her confirmation hearing thanked Rubio as well as fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida for their "continued support." "Judge Cannon is a great judge who I am very proud to have enthusiastically supported," Rubio told Insider through his office when asked about the connection.

☆ Kyiv mayor Klitschko says he's working to avoid an 'apocalypse' winter after Zelenskyy scolded him over his heating shelters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv Mayor and former boxer Vitali Klitschko said that the city is bracing for a brutal winter. The apocalypse might happen, like in Hollywood films, when it's not possible to live in homes considering the low temperature," Klitschko told Reuters on Thursday. According to Reuters, in a video message last week, Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv did not have enough heating shelters, which Klitschko called a "strange" message. "If electricity supply continues to be absent while outside temperatures remain low, we will unfortunately be forced to drain water from buildings," Klitschko told Reuters on Thursday. The mayor told residents to remain calm, but to prepare for "various scenarios."

☆ The author of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill resigns after being indicted on charges of swindling COVID-relief loans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The author of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill resigned on Thursday after a federal indictment. Florida state Rep. Joe Harding was indicted on charges of fraud worth over $150,000. Federal prosecutors alleged that Harding made fake businesses, bank accounts and pocketed COVID loans. In 2022, Harding sponsored Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" Bill,which is officially called the "Parental Rights in Education" bill. If found guilty, Harding faces up to 20 years on the wire fraud charges; 10 years related to the money laundering allegations; and five years in prison for allegedly making false statements.

☆ The sponsor of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill was indicted on federal charges of money laundering and wire fraud related to COVID relief loans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Erin Snodgrass | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sponsor of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill was indicted on money laundering charges. He raked in more than $150,000 through his scheme, per the US Attorney's Office, and was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday on six counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. In the indictment, prosecutors said that Harding used the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loans, meant for COVID-related expenses, to enrich himself between December 2020 and March 2021. If found guilty, Harding faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years on the wire fraud charges; 10 years on the money laundering allegations; and five years in prison for allegedly making false statements. In 2022, Harding sponsored Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" Bill, which is officially called the "Parental Rights in Education" bill.

☆ Appeals court stops the special master review of government records found at Trump's estate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An appeals court ruled that a Special Master must stop reviewing Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents. Trump succeeded in having lower courts appoint a Special Master, delaying a federal investigation. The Special Master was set to review thousands of classified documents that the former president kept. In September, Florida Judge Aileen Cannon had appointed a special master in September, which the Justice Department appealed and which drew criticism from the Appeals court judges in their Thursday ruling. The move to appoint a special master opened an unprecedented Pandora's box of concerns for national security experts.

☆ More than 6,000 immigrants were affected by an ICE data leak after an excel sheet with identifying info about people fleeing torture was accidentally made public for 5 hours
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ICE accidentally leaked personal info of more than 6,000 immigrants who applied for protections. The agency said the leak, which they said was "unintentional," was left up for five hours. Human rights organization Human Rights First notified the agency of the massive leak on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Immigration advocates said the leak created grave security risks for the migrants, even if the data was deleted. "ICE cannot be trusted with people's data," Oliver Merino, a coordinator for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, told Insider.

☆ What is the potential penalty if someone is convicted of 'seditious conspiracy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes and member Kelly Meggs were found guilty Tuesday of seditious conspiracy. Seditious conspiracy is when people conspire to overthrow, put down, or destroy the government. Seditious conspiracy, sometimes referred to as "sedition," is a law that first originated in 1789 to prosecute speech critical of the government. In order for the Proud Boys to be convicted of the seditious conspiracy charges, McDaniels said, four elements have to be proven in court. While McDaniels said he believes the case of the Proud Boys attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6 is a textbook case of seditious conspiracy, proving all four of those elements will likely be a challenge for prosecutors.

☆ Elon Musk wanted to reinstate a right-wing satire account on day one as Twitter chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk expressed interest in reinstating the Babylon Bee's twitter account hours after he took over. According to The Washington Post, Musk thought the right-wing satire site shouldn't have been banned. The Babylon Bee had called Biden health official Rachel Levine, who is a transgender woman, "Man of the Year." The site's account was reinstated on Sunday, three weeks after his takeover of Twitter. Weeks before Musk's purchase, ex-wife Talulah Riley texted Musk criticizing the platform's decision to ban The Babylon Bee and calling for him to reverse the decision and make the platform "radically free speech."

Japan is a country of more than 127 million people, but it rarely sees more than 10 gun deaths a year. Culture is one reason for the low rate, but gun control is a major one, too. Japan, a country of 127 million people and yearly gun deaths rarely totaling more than 10, is one such country. Japan is a country with regulations upon regulationsJapan's success in curbing gun deaths is intimately linked with its history. The government has since loosened the law, but the fact Japan enacted gun control from the stance of prohibition is important.

☆ Switzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Hilary Brueck | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Switzerland hasn't had a mass shooting in 21 years. The Swiss have strict rules for who can get a gun, and take firearm training very seriously. Loading Something is loading. The National Rifle Association often points to Switzerland to argue that more rules on gun ownership aren't necessary. But the Swiss have some specific rules and regulations for gun use.

☆ A breakdown of gun terminology to help you in discussions on mass shootings and debates over gun control
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Brian Witte/Associated Press"Assault weapon" is among the most contentious phrases in discussions on gun control. There's not a universal definition of what an assault weapon is, which is part of the reason this subject tends to antagonize the gun lobby or gun advocates. In short, gun enthusiasts typically say a firearm should be called an assault rifle only if it's capable of fully automatic fire — and they tend to reject the term assault weapon altogether. "None of the so-called assault rifles legally owned by US civilians are assault rifles as the term is used in military contexts," Gary Kleck, a criminal-justice professor emeritus at Florida State University, told PolitiFact. Kleck added: "Assault rifles used by members of the military can all fire full automatic, like machine guns, as well as one shot at a time, whereas none of the so-called assault rifles legally owned by US civilians can fire full automatic."

MexicoMembers of a small community in Mexico defend their town against gang criminals with guns. Although Mexicans have a right to buy a gun, bureaucratic hurdles, long delays, and narrow restrictions make it extremely difficult to do so. Article 10 of the 1857 Mexican Constitution guaranteed that "every man has the right to keep and to carry arms for his security and legitimate defense." During the rewriting of the constitution, the government placed more severe restrictions on the right to buy guns. In 2012, The New York Times reported that only members of the police or military can buy the largest weapons in Mexico, such as semiautomatic rifles.

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