McCarthy said Trump acknowledged ‘some responsibility’ for attack on Jan. 6, 2021
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, told GOP lawmakers in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that former President Donald Trump acknowledged he bore “some responsibility” for what happened that day, new audio revealed Friday. The audio, obtained by The New York Times, is part of a series of revelations about Republican leaders’ private condemnations of Trump in the days after his supporters stormed the Capitol. McCarthy’s assertion would be the clearest indication that Trump may have admitted some measure of culpability for the deadly mob. The revelation comes as congressional investigators scour for evidence of Trump’s involvement.
Marjorie Taylor Greene denies ‘insurrectionist’ charge in court
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Friday repeated false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election as she defended her actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, in an extraordinary hearing that asked whether she should be labeled an “insurrectionist” and barred from office under the Constitution. While under oath at an administrative law hearing in Atlanta, Greene insisted that “a tremendous amount of fraudulent activity” had robbed former President Donald Trump of reelection. But despite her exhortations on social media to “#FightForTrump,” she said she had possessed no knowledge that protesters intended to invade the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Punishing Disney, DeSantis signals a lasting GOP brawl with business
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday revoked Disney’s special tax privileges in the state, culminating an extraordinary clash between one of the Republican Party’s leading figures and the company. The move, which reverses a 55-year arrangement allowing the company to self-govern its theme park complex, came after a weekslong battle with Disney that became a symbol of the country’s broader cultural fights over education, sexuality and identity. The Florida standoff largely centered on an education law recently signed by DeSantis. The law — called the “Parental Rights in Education” measure, or, to its critics, “Don’t Say Gay” — prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in some elementary school grades.
Texas National Guard soldier feared drowned in Rio Grande
A member of the Texas National Guard was missing and believed drowned in the Rio Grande on Friday while stationed along the river, as part of a mission ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to help prevent illegal border crossings, according to two officials briefed on the matter. The Texas Military Department, in a statement, said the guard member “has gone missing along the river during a mission-related incident.” “The soldier has not been found,” the department said, adding that an active search was underway. The guard member, who was not immediately named, had been attempting to rescue a migrant woman as she struggled in the water, according to one of the officials.
Hackers claim to target Russian institutions
Hackers claim to have broken into dozens of Russian institutions over the past two months, including the Kremlin’s internet censor and one of its intelligence services, leaking emails and internal documents to the public. The operation comes as the Ukrainian government appears to have begun a parallel effort to punish Russia by publishing the names of purported Russian soldiers who operated in Bucha, Ukraine, the site of a massacre of civilians, and agents of the FSB, a major Russian intelligence agency. It is unclear how the Ukrainian government obtained those names or whether they were part of the hacks.
New Zealand deal may put Japan closer to ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance
As China moves to expand its influence in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and New Zealand have opened talks on an agreement for “seamless” sharing of classified information, a step that could strengthen Tokyo’s case to join the “Five Eyes” intelligence partnership. An announcement of the negotiations came two days after the Solomon Islands said it had reached a security agreement with China, provoking unease among Western-aligned powers in the region. The deal, according to a leaked document, could allow Beijing to deploy troops to the Solomons and perhaps even result in the first Chinese military base in the Pacific.
Pope condemns war in Ukraine (again) but doesn’t name Putin (again)
Pope Francis has defended his decision to not directly name President Vladimir Putin of Russia in his repeated condemnations of the war in Ukraine and said that he was ready to do “everything” so “there will not be one more death.” “A pope never names a head of state, much less a country, which is superior to its head of state,” Francis said when asked directly about it for an interview that was published Thursday by Argentine newspaper La Nacion. In the interview, the pope said that the Vatican’s behind-the-scenes efforts to stop the war were continuous.
Mosque explosion kills 33 as deadly week in Afghanistan continues
An explosion at a Sufi mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens of others, a Taliban official said, continuing a bloody week in Afghanistan that has been reminiscent of the past 20 years of war. The blast, at the Khanaqa-e-Malawi Sikandar mosque in Kunduz province near the country’s border with Tajikistan, was the fourth major attack in Afghanistan in four days and stoked fears that the country may be heading into a violent spring when warmer weather has historically allowed militants to carry out offensives. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
By wire sources