QAnon follower who chased officer convicted in Jan. 6 trial
An Iowa man has been convicted of charges that he led a crowd of rioters in chasing a U.S. Capitol police officer up a staircase and accosting other officers guarding the Senate. That was one of the most harrowing scenes of the mob’s attack that day. A federal jury deliberated for roughly four hours before convicting Douglas Jensen of felony charges that he obstructed Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021, and that he assaulted or interfered with police officers during the siege. Jensen was convicted on all counts, including a charge that he engaged in disorderly conduct inside the Capitol while carrying a folding knife in his pocket.
Arizona judge: State can enforce near-total abortion ban
An Arizona judge says the state can enforce a near-total ban on abortions that has been blocked for nearly 50 years. Friday’s ruling by a judge in Tucson came after the state’s Republican attorney general sought an order lifting an injunction that was issued shortly after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Roe was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. Friday’s ruling means clinics across Arizona will likely stop providing abortions. The law was first enacted decades before Arizona became a state in 1912. The only exception is if the mother’s life is in danger. Another law that bans abortions after 15 weeks takes effect Saturday.
Trump allies create a new super PAC called MAGA Inc.
Top allies of ex-President Donald Trump are creating a new super PAC that’s expected to serve as the main vehicle for his midterm spending and could become a key part of his campaign infrastructure if he moves forward with a 2024 White House run. The MAGA Inc. group will supersede Trump’s existing super political action committee. Paperwork for the new group was filed Friday. The buildout comes as the Republican former president is under mounting legal pressure on multiple fronts, including a Department of Justice criminal investigation into how documents with classified markings ended up at his Florida home. Trump officials won’t say how much he intends to spend on his midterm efforts.
Hong Kong to end mandatory hotel quarantine for travelers
Hong Kong’s leader has announced the city would no longer require incoming travelers to quarantine in designated hotels. The city is seeking to remain competitive and open up globally after nearly two years. The city’s chief executive John Lee at a news conference Friday said incoming travelers will also no longer need a negative PCR test within 48 hours before boarding a plane to Hong Kong. Instead, they will need to present a negative result from a rapid antigen test conducted within 24 hours before their flight. The measures will go into effect Monday. Lee said there must be a balance between COVID-19 risks and economic growth.
Hurricane Fiona heads for Canada after whipping at Bermuda
A hurricane that is expected to transform into a huge post-tropical storm will bring hurricane-strength wind, heavy rain and big waves to Atlantic Canada. Meteorologists are warning that Fiona has the potential to be one of the most severe storms in Canada’s history. Fiona is due to make landfall Saturday morning. The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued a hurricane watch over extensive coastal expanses of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Fiona should reach the area as a “large and powerful post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is going to be a bad one.
In seized parts of Ukraine, Moscow stages balloting on joining Russia
Against a backdrop of war and repression, Moscow and its proxies Friday began holding what they called referendums in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, condemned by much of the world as a mockery of voting intended to justify Russia’s annexation of those ravaged lands. The elections, ostensibly asking if people want to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, are scheduled to take place through Tuesday under the watchful eyes of a brutal occupation. Videos posted by local residents and Kremlin-controlled news media displayed a hastily organized and inconsistent show of voting, with no ballot secrecy and soldiers looking on. People reported locking their doors pretending not to be home.
Migrant boat capsizes off Syria, dozens feared dead
A small boat carrying more than 100 migrants headed to Europe from Lebanon capsized off the coast of Syria, leaving at least 75 dead, Lebanese and Syrian authorities said Friday. Authorities said that about 120 migrants were on the boat when it capsized Thursday and that at least 20 of them were rescued near the port of Tartus, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. “The migrants have no papers, and it looks like the boat they took was a small one,” Lebanon’s transportation minister, Ali Hamieh, told The New York Times. The passengers on board were mostly Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians who had paid “smugglers” for the trip, he added.
Pro-government rallies held in Iran amid mass protests
Iranian counterprotesters have rallied across the country in a show of support for authorities after nearly a week of anti-government protests and unrest. Thousands attended a rally in Tehran, where they waved Iranian flags, and similar demonstrations were held in other cities. Authorities claim the rallies are spontaneous. State TV, meanwhile, suggested late on Friday that the death toll from this week’s protests and clashes with security forces, sparked by the death of a young woman being held by the morality police, could be as high as 35. It’s the most severe unrest in years, and internet access has been disrupted for days. Many of the protesters are calling for the fall of the Islamic Republic.
By wire sources
