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☆ Spanberger narrowly defeats GOP challenger in closely watched House race in Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger narrowly held onto her seat in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Republican Yesli Vega in a contest both parties saw as an early bellwether in the battle for the House. NBC News has not yet projected the outcome in a second closely watched Virginia race, where Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria was battling Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans. But the political survival of Spanberger, a prominent player among the small band of moderate Blue Dog Democrats, counted as a welcome burst of good news for Democrats relatively early on election night. She made waves after the 2020 election when she blamed her party’s left flank for losses in the House, arguing that calls to “defund” law enforcement cost seats. Vega, a member of the Prince William board of county supervisors, served as a police officer before entering politics.

During hours of testimony, Rhodes told jurors that going into the Capitol was "stupid" because it "opened the door for our political enemies to persecute us, and that’s what happened, and here we are." Meggs, Harrelson and Watkins went inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes said that he was "concerned" on Jan. 6 that Oath Keepers would get caught up "in all the nonsense with the Trump supporters" around the Capitol and that he sent a message on the encrypted app Signal asking Oath Keepers to gather at a spot near the Capitol for that reason. Yet as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, Rhodes praised the "patriots" and compared their actions to those of the country's founders, according to government evidence presented at trial. Rhodes said that he and the Oath Keepers were prepared to walk the “founders' path” but that even today he hopes conflict can be avoided.

☆ A spiral of violence and fear is creating angst for many voters ahead of the midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

For many voters, a vicious spiral of violence and fear is creating angst, paranoia and an overwhelming sense of dread that the nation is on the eve of destruction, according to a growing body of public opinion research. Polls show a large portion of Republicans fear democracy is in peril because they believe that elections are rigged against them. Frustrated by the fear that democracy no longer serves them, some Americans are becoming convinced that violence is the answer. Steele, the former head of the national GOP, said the public and political leaders both bear responsibility for protecting the republic. “But it also gives space for people who want a safer country to plan ahead, too.

HONG KONG — After mass unrest in 2019, a pandemic that left it isolated from the world and the imposition of a national security law that has crushed dissent, Hong Kong is ready to turn the page. According to government statistics, about 319,000 people arrived in Hong Kong last month, down 97% from 10.8 million in October 2019. According to one report last month, Hong Kong has lost its status as Asia’s top financial center to Singapore. While it may not be realistic to expect businesses to turn away from China’s huge market, global business leaders “need to recognize that there’s a new situation in Hong Kong, there’s a new reality,” said Brian Kern, the lead researcher for a report on doing business in Hong Kong that was published last month by the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a nonprofit group based in Washington. Lee also pointed to a report in September in which Hong Kong topped Singapore as the world’s freest economy.

WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee will meet Friday with a Secret Service agent who was in the lead car of former President Donald Trump's motorcade on the day of the riot, three sources familiar with the matter said. The committee also has plans to meet in the near future with the driver of the SUV that Trump rode in on Jan. 6, 2021, the sources told NBC News. Anthony Guglielmi, the top spokesperson for the Secret Service, testified earlier this week before committee investigators about the testimony that Hutchinson shared under oath. The committee subpoenaed the Secret Service for communications in July, shortly after it was revealed that most text messages sent by agents via. While the communications do not include text messages, they do include emails and other electronic messages, a Secret Service spokesperson said.

The FBI in New Jersey said Thursday it is investigating a “credible” and “broad threat” to synagogues in the state, and the governor said law enforcement are working to protect houses of worship. Officials with the Newark FBI announced the threat in a statement and told the public to stay alert. “The FBI has received credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in NJ. Phil Murphy said in a statement his office has been in contact with the state attorney general’s office, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the FBI. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with local law enforcement to ensure that all houses of worship are protected,” Murphy said.

☆ A Michigan judge tried to block an abortion rights measure. His ex-wife says he helped her get an abortion in college.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

On May 18 that year, Jones said, Zahra drove her to the clinic and paid for her abortion. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra. Michigan CourtsAside from Zahra, Jones said she did not immediately tell anyone that she was pregnant in May 1983. The abortion-rights coalition sued to place it on the ballot, and the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the coalition — ordering state officials to put the proposed amendment to voters on Nov. 8. She calculated her menstrual cycle and told Zahra she thought she might be pregnant.

☆ DOJ grants immunity to Trump adviser Kash Patel to compel his grand jury testimony in Mar-a-Lago case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has granted immunity to Trump adviser Kash Patel after a judge ruled that was the only way to compel his grand jury testimony in the Mar-a-Lago case, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News. Patel has said that former President Donald Trump declassified certain documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate before leaving office. NBC News reported in February that the archives found classified material among the boxes of White House documents that Trump improperly took to Mar-a-Lago. Patel told Breitbart News in May that the documents had been declassified by Trump but their markings were not updated. "Trump declassified whole sets of materials in anticipation of leaving government that he thought the American public should have the right to read themselves," Patel said then.

☆ Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack was in U.S. illegally, immigration officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The suspect who violently assaulted Paul Pelosi with a hammer last week was in the U.S. illegally, immigration officials confirm. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has asked San Francisco County to hand DePape over to the agency, meaning that DePape could eventually be deported back to Canada. For the state charges, he could face 13 years to life in prison if he is convicted and the federal charges carry a maximum of 50 years in prison. Investigators say DePape broke into San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul on a mission to hold her hostage and break her kneecaps. Law enforcement determined Saturday that DePape had been living for the last two years in the garage of a residence in Richmond, just outside San Francisco.

☆ Stewart Rhodes wrote message to Trump after Jan. 6 calling on him to 'save the Republic,' arrest members of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Daniel Barnes | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Alpers testified that he was not working on behalf of a federal law enforcement agency when he made the recording. Alpers testified on the stand that he had connections to Trump's inner circle and said he could get a message to Trump "indirectly." When he met with Rhodes on Jan. 10, he had Rhodes type a message intended for Trump on his phone. Oath Keepers members Joshua James, Brian Ulrich and William Todd Wilson all pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Several other Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to other charges, including two Oath Keepers — Jason Dolan and Graydon Young — who testified in the trial.

☆ Capitol Police had a camera feed of Pelosi's home during attack, but no one was monitoring it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Garrett-Haake-Headshot.Jpg | Garrett Haake | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police had a camera feed showing the outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., home in San Francisco during the attack on her husband Friday, but no one was monitoring it at the time, two sources familiar with the situation said. The camera is one of about 1,800 at the Capitol complex and around the country that the Capitol Police have the ability to monitor. The Washington Post first reported no one was actively watching the camera feed when the break-in occurred early Friday morning. Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., at the time her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked. I came here to have a little chat with his wife,” DePape said he told Paul Pelosi, the filing alleges.

☆ Suspect in hammer attack on Paul Pelosi pleads not guilty to attempted murder and other charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The man accused of brutally attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appeared in state court Tuesday to face attempted murder and other charges. California prosecutors also charged David DePape, 42, with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, false imprisonment and threatening a public official in connection with Friday's attack on Paul Pelosi. DePape specifically targeted the Pelosis' home to confront the House speaker, not realizing she was in Washington, D.C., at the time, Jenkins alleged. Based on DePape's alleged statements and comments made in the house during the encounter with Paul Pelosi, the attack appeared to be "politically motivated," Jenkins said. Investigators allege DePape attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police arrived at the home early Friday morning.

In the study, published Tuesday, researchers examined requests made by residents of the 30 states to the Austria-based nonprofit Aid Access, a physician-run service that mails abortion pills directly to people in the United States. Applicants provided at least one reason for needing the drugs, and many cited abortion restrictions that have swept the nation, the study said. Traveling to states that offer abortion services might not be possible due to the expense, difficulty in taking time off from work or finding child care. Over the course of the study, Aid Access received more than 42,000 requests for abortion pills from residents in the 30 states. "It suggests that another, I think, unintended consequence and kind of ironic consequence of abortion bans is that they actually seem to draw attention to and illuminate the idea of a self-managed abortion," Aiken said.

“I felt it was like a Bastille-type moment in history," Graydon Young told jurors in the seditious conspiracy trial of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four other members of the organization. “Unfortunately, I was spending way too much time on YouTube and Facebook,” Young testified. "I thought protests were a waste of time, and they don’t achieve anything,” Young testified. On Jan. 6, Young testified, he was with his sister Laura Steele, who has also been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack but has pleaded not guilty. He later joined a group that rushed to the Capitol after hearing it was breached, Young said in court.

☆ Justice Department charges suspect in Paul Pelosi attack with assault, attempted kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday filed two charges in federal court against the suspect in Friday’s brutal attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. When Pelosi told him that Nancy was not there, DePape stated that he would sit and wait," the complaint said. The complaint says Paul Pelosi called authorities from the bathroom. The FBI has been working with San Francisco police and the Capitol Police on the investigation into Friday's attack on Paul Pelosi. According to a Pelosi family member, the suspect brought the hammer and broke the windows of the Pelosi home facing the backyard.

WASHINGTON — Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn testified during the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy trial on Monday that members of the far-right organization did not assist him during the Jan. 6 attack. Dunn, armed with a rifle, stood near House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office on Jan. 6 and interacted with members of the Oath Keepers. Video played by prosecutors captured some of his interactions with the Oath Keepers in the Capitol. Harry Dunn, third right, surrounded by Oath Keepers in a photo presented as evidence in the Oath Keepers trial. "I looked at my colleague and said, 'Oath Keepers?

WASHINGTON — A former Capitol Police officer who warned a Jan. 6 defendant about a post that said he was inside the Capitol building was found guilty on one count of felony obstruction of justice by a jury on Friday. Michael Riley was indicted in October 2021 on two counts of obstruction of justice and resigned from the Capitol Police force shortly thereafter. The jury had been deliberating since Tuesday afternoon, by far the lengthiest deliberations of any Jan. 6-related jury trial. “I never intended for any of this to happen.”Jacob Hiles, circled in red, at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “He was thinking, how do I get this rioter, my Facebook friend, from being caught up in this grand jury investigation," Dohrmann argued.

☆ Schumer says Warnock's Senate race against Walker is 'going downhill' in remarks to president
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed concern Thursday about Sen. Raphael Warnock's re-election race against Republican Herschel Walker during a conversation with President Joe Biden. The private discussion was picked up on a microphone and camera while they stood on an airport tarmac in Syracuse, N.Y., with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Democratic Gov. During the conversation, Schumer brought up the Pennsylvania Senate race and the debate Tuesday between Democratic Lt. Gov. The Democratic leader could also be heard mentioning the Senate race in Nevada, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is running for re-election against Republican Adam Laxalt. Asked about Schumer’s remarks to Biden, Justin Goodman, a spokesman for the majority leader, told NBC News, "Schumer believes the Democratic candidates will win."

☆ Pelosi's husband 'violently assaulted' by assailant who broke into San Francisco home, her office says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was "violently assaulted" early Friday morning by an assailant who broke into their home in San Francisco, according to a statement from her office. "Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi. The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation," said spokesman Drew Hammill. The House speaker was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack, the statement said. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation stemming from a May 28 crash in Napa County, north of San Francisco.

☆ Arrest made after break-in at Democrat Katie Hobbs’ campaign headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An arrest has been made in connection to a burglary at the campaign headquarters of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona, Phoenix police said Thursday. Hobbs’ campaign confirmed to NBC News that it was made aware of the arrest. The burglary comes amid reports of voter intimidation in Arizona, where Hobbs, as secretary of state, is the top election official. In a statement Wednesday, Hobbs’ campaign manager tied the reports of alleged voter intimidation to Lake and other election deniers. She added that “Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this campaign.”

WASHINGTON — A Jan. 6 rioter who dragged former D.C. Police Officer Michael Fanone into the crowd on the steps of the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison on Thursday. Albuquerque Head, circled in red, on the steps in front of a tunnel at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. District Court for D.C.“Show him the same mercy that he showed me on Jan. 6 … which is none," Fanone said. Jackson described former Officer Fanone as Head’s “prey” and his “trophy.” She also described Fanone as “protecting America” during the riot. That's who Officer Fanone was, that's what Officer Fanone was doing."

WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is under federal criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter and a spokesperson for the senator. "Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today, however he does not know the scope of the investigation," Menendez’s adviser Michael Soliman said Wednesday in a statement. News of the investigation was first reported by the website Semafor. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. He has served in the Senate since 2006 and previously served in the House.

WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, who served as a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, is interviewing with the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday, a source familiar told NBC News. Hicks served in multiple senior roles in Trump's White House for much of his presidency. She left the White House six days after the Jan. 6 insurrection, on Jan. 12, after serving as a counselor to the president. She had previously served as White House communications director as well as director of strategic communications. Prior to her stints at the White House, Hicks worked for Trump's presidential campaign, the Trump Organization and Ivanka Trump’s fashion brand.

☆ Can liberals win tough Senate races? Fetterman and Barnes hope to prove it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

WASHINGTON — At stake in this year’s key Senate races is not just the balance of power between the parties, but within them. Now this year's Senate races represent one of the toughest electoral challenges yet for the modern progressive movement. These groups will back progressives in open Senate races, but have yet to recruit someone to run against an incumbent Democrat. But both Fetterman and Barnes then went on to be elected lieutenant governor, statewide victories that helped them convince party insiders they could win U.S. Senate races. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, greets supporters at Nether Providence Elementary School, in Wallingford on Oct. 15.

☆ Garland to hold news conference on 'significant national security cases'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss "significant national security cases addressing malign influence schemes and alleged criminal activity by a nation-state actor in the United States," the Department of Justice announced in an advisory. ET, and will be joined by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen and other Justice Department officials. The advisory didn't provide any additional details about the case, including what the alleged criminal activity entails or what foreign country or countries may be involved. Justice Department officials generally avoid taking law enforcement action that could affect voting within 60 days of an election. It's unclear if the announcement Monday is related in any way to the upcoming election.

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