No new Stone trial, Kelly backs Vindman, GI Bill for all, USS Cole settlement + 'Radio Russia'
NewsHero - Feb 13, 2020 - Issue 33
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for Thursday, February 13, 2020.
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Going forward we’ll be keeping to this current layout each day: two quick mentions called NewsHero Notes, followed by three items for our Afternoon Brief. Next, there’s one story that we go a wee bit deeper with, then the Extra! Extra! we end with, which serves as an editorial space where sometimes we have a bit of fun.
And as always, we’re on the lookout for the hero of every story. These are the ones who make our headlines and make our world a better place to read about.
Thanks for everything!
Team NewsHero
Matt Healy of the 1975. (Andy Von Pip/Zuma Press/PA Images)
NewsHero Notes
Matt Healy, frontman for the band The 1975, has said the group will only play festivals with a gender-balanced lineup. A number of festivals have been criticized for a male-heavy roster.
A new report by the Government Accountability Office warns that the Census Bureau is behind on recruiting temp workers and addressing IT and cybersecurity risks attached to the 2020 census, the first mostly online U.S. count.
Afternoon Brief
GI Bill for all?
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar took some heat for showing support for a Marine veteran’s article calling for a revised GI Bill that would apply to everyone. Iraq veteran Will Fischer argued that, “The ethos behind the original GI Bill” should apply to all. Omar tweeted a response to Fischer: “Imagine what it would do for our country and those who live here if we were to take the ethos behind the original G.I. Bill and apply it to everybody—canceling all student debt and making public colleges, universities, and vocational schools tuition-free.”
Education Investigation
The U.S. Department of Education said on Wednesday it’s opened an investigation into whether Harvard and Yale failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign gifts and contracts (as required by law). Yale University may not have reported at least $375 million in foreign money over the last four years, the department said, also expressing concern that Harvard University may have not fully reported all donations and contracts coming from outside the U.S. “This is about transparency,” U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said. “If colleges and universities are accepting foreign money and gifts, their students, donors, and taxpayers deserve to know how much and from whom.”
Sudan Settlement
Sudan has reached a settlement and agreed to compensate the families of 17 U.S. sailors who died in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. Sudan hopes to be removed from the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism which would allow sanctions to be lifted. The U.S. ruled Sudan was responsible as the attackers were trained in the country, though Sudan's government “explicitly denies” its involvement in the attack and says the payout announced Wednesday is intended to “settle the historical allegations of terrorism left by the former regime.”
Judge Denies Stone New Trial
John Kelly commends Vindman
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson listens during the investiture ceremony for U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden April 13, 2018, at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
U.S District Judge Amy Berman Jackson announced her ruling Wednesday to deny Trump confidant Roger Stone a new trial after he requested one. The announcement is Jackson’s first public response after the withdrawals of all four prosecutors on the case Tuesday. The denial was reportedly decided last week, before the backlash from the Justice Department's revised sentencing recommendation.
In the wake of the prosecutors’ withdrawal, Jessie Liu, the U.S. attorney whose nomination for a top Treasury Department job was revoked because she partially oversaw Stone's prosecution, has resigned. Liu submitted her resignation to the Treasury Department, effective Wednesday evening.
Democrats have demanded answers about Attorney General William Barr’s apparent intervention in the sentencing of Roger Stone. Barr has accepted an invitation to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on March 31, ending a year of uncertainty since the panel first demanded his testimony in the aftermath of Robert Mueller's investigation.
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in D.C. on Oct. 11, 2018. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said Wednesday that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness who testified in Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, was right in voicing concerns over Trump's famous call to Ukraine, The Atlantic reported. "Having seen something 'questionable (in the call),' Vindman properly notified his superiors,” Kelly said at an event at Drew University. “When subpoenaed by Congress in the House impeachment hearings, Vindman complied and told the truth.”
Joining those sharing their take on matters, retired Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, while being honored at an event for “Excellence in the Conduct of Diplomacy,” commented on what she considered the degradation of the State Department. In her first public remarks since leaving the diplomatic service, Yovanovitch called for a “vigorous Department of State” to regain its stature in the nation's capital, warning that “right now the State Department is in trouble.”
Extra! Extra!
In yesterday’s edition, we discussed the “space radio” pinging our planet in an apparent pattern. Today it’s all about “Radio Sputnik.” No, it’s not a song by The Clash. “In January,” according to The New York Times, “Radio Sputnik, a propaganda arm of the Russian government, started broadcasting on three Kansas City-area radio stations during prime drive times.”
The station “covers the political spectrum from right to left, but the constant backbeat is that America is damaged goods.” Be that as it may, is it possible something else is going on? Are the Russians working on a new communist regime? Are they trying to “communize” the United States? Are they using our classic rock waves to accomplish their Mission Rouge?
Omg, the Kansas City Chiefs just won the Super Bowl. Their team color? Red. Wait, turn the dial a bit. There’s some static. It’s getting clearer. It’s Black Sabbath. The song? “Paranoid.”
Sources:
The 1975 commit to playing only gender-balanced music festivals - The Guardian
Watchdog Warns Census Faces Cybersecurity, Hiring Risks Before National Rollout - NPR
Rep. Ilhan Omar wants GI bill for all Americans - American Military News
Omar tweets out support for a new GI Bill that would apply to all, not just vets - Washington Examiner
Rep. Ilhan Omar promotes call for GI Bill to apply to all Americans - Fox News
USS Cole bombing: Sudan agrees to compensate families - BBC News
Sudan reaches settlement with families of USS Cole victims - Fox News
Sudan will pay $30 million to families of USS Cole attack victims, its leaders say - CNN
US investigates Harvard and Yale over foreign funding - BBC News
Harvard and Yale universities investigated for possible non-disclosure of foreign money - Reuters
Universities Face Federal Crackdown Over Foreign Financial Influence - NY Times
Judge denies Roger Stone's request for a new trial - CNN
Barr offers skepticism on Giuliani's offer of info on Bidens - Politico
The Atlantic: John Kelly says Vindman was right to report Trump's call with Zelensky - CNN
Nadler demands answers from Barr on 'new channel' for receiving Ukraine info from Giuliani - The Hill
Attorney General William Barr to testify before House Judiciary Committee - Politico
The President's decision to expand his power post-trial has stunned Washington - CNN
Yovanovitch swipes at Trump administration as she's honored for her diplomatic work - CNN
Former Chief of Staff John Kelly Says Trump’s Ukraine Quid Pro Quo Call Amounted to an “Illegal Order” - Slate
Jessie Liu resigns from Treasury after pulled nomination - CNN
Playing on Kansas City Radio: Russian Propaganda - NY Times