Trump faces a week of headaches on Jan. 6 and his taxes
After more than five years controversies, scandals and potential crimes surrounding former President Donald Trump, this week will be among the most consequential. On Monday, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by Trump’s supporters will hold what is almost certainly its final public meeting before it is disbanded. On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will discuss what to do with the six years of Trump’s tax returns it obtained after nearly four years of legal efforts by Trump to block their release. And Wednesday, the Jan. 6 committee is expected to release its report.
Proud Boys trial is set to open, focusing on role in Jan. 6 Violence
Jury selection begins Monday for five members of the Proud Boys facing trial on charges of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Prosecutors intend to argue that the five defendants turned the mob into a weapon on Jan. 6 and pointed it at the Capitol, where lawmakers had gathered to certify the results of the 2020 election, according to court papers and pretrial hearings. It was part of a plot, the government will say, to stop the lawful transfer of power and ensure that President Donald Trump remained in office. Sedition carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
Vatican removes anti-abortion activist from the priesthood
A well-known Catholic priest and incendiary leader of the anti-abortion movement was removed from the priesthood by the Vatican, according to a letter from Pope Francis’ representative to the United States that was obtained by The New York Times. Frank Pavone, who leads the advocacy organization Priests for Life and was once a religious adviser to former President Donald Trump, was dismissed from the clergy Nov. 9 with no possibility of appeal, the letter states. The letter included a statement about the removal that it said was approved by the Dicastery for the Clergy, a Vatican office.
North Korea says rocket launch was test of 1st spy satellite
North Korea says it fired a test satellite in an important final-stage test for the development of its first spy satellite. That’s a key military capability coveted by its leader Kim Jong Un. The North’s state media said Monday the test was done to assess the satellite’s photography and data transmission systems. It also released black-and-white photos showing Seoul and another South Korean city as seen from space in an apparent attempt to show the North is pushing to monitor its rival with its advancing technologies. A security analyst said the images weren’t so impressive for military reconnaissance but that improvements in the North’s capability were expected.
Ukraine says Russia is training soldiers for possible new offensive
Ukraine is bracing for the possibility that Russia will sharply escalate the war in a winter offensive as Moscow tries to turn the tide on the battlefield and limit political backlash at home, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday. Despite suffering severe setbacks in 10 months of war, the Russian military is now laying plans for mass infantry attacks akin to the tactics employed by the Soviet Union during World War II, the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said in written responses to questions. Podolyak’s comments came as Ukraine’s top military and political leaders have been warning that Russia plans a renewed ground offensive by spring.
UK moves to eliminate some airport security obstacles
They are the rituals of modern travel: the frantic drinking from water bottles in airport security lines and shampoos and other liquids tossed into the trash. As far as the British government is concerned, those days should end by June 2024. The British government said last week that new technology at its airports could let it substantially relax and speed up security checks, allowing liquid containers of up to 2 liters in hand luggage and doing away with a requirement to extract big electronics from carry-on bags. The new equipment essentially provides a 3D image of the contents of a passenger’s bag.
By wire sources