News of the World

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Former US Capitol Police Commander Reveals Failures in Jan. 6 Evacuation Response

A top U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) commander—recently retired Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman—failed to respond to repeated urgent radio calls to evacuate the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, causing the loss of precious time that might have prevented the shooting death of protester Ashli Babbitt, a former USCP commander said.

The delay caused by the radio silence from the Capitol Police Command Center was so urgent that the 22-year veteran lieutenant located near the U.S. Senate chamber forged ahead with the evacuation anyway. He said he feared lawmakers would be injured or killed if he didn’t lead them to safety before the chamber doors were breached by protesters.

In a series of exclusive interviews with The Epoch Times, former USCP Lt. Tarik K. Johnson, 47, detailed allegations that Pittman failed to respond to multiple urgent calls for help.
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Pittman, 49, who will begin a new job as chief of police at the University of California–Berkeley on Feb. 1, didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. She announced her retirement from the USCP in November 2022.
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In his new book, “Courage Under Fire,” published on Jan. 3, former USCP Chief Steven Sund, 57, said an area of the Command Center nicknamed “the pit” is used for monitoring “all the camera systems, radios, alarms, and a computer-aided dispatch terminal to monitor USCP and MPD calls for service.”

Founded by an act of Congress in 1828, the U.S. Capitol Police has more than 1,800 sworn officers, more than 500 civilian employees, and an annual budget of $602.5 million.

According to the book, Sund was in the Command Center on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, but was occupied making dozens of calls to the House and Senate sergeants at arms and the Pentagon, trying to get National Guard troops sent to the Capitol. He also made and took numerous calls to arrange for mutual aid from surrounding police agencies, the book said.
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[USCP Lt. Tarik K.] Johnson became known to much of America as the Capitol Police lieutenant who wore a bright red Make America Great Again ball cap while he worked with a pair of Oath Keepers to rescue 16 USCP officers trapped in the foyer inside the massive Columbus Doors.

Johnson was suspended by USCP and later accused of rules violations, including conduct unbecoming, for wearing the Trump hat and working with the Oath Keepers on the officer rescue. He said he believes those charges were actually brought because the evacuations and other split-second leadership decisions he made embarrassed Pittman.

No Legal Difference’ Between Biden’s Classified Document Stash and Trump’s: Lawyer

The White House’s disclosure that classified documents were found in an office President Joe Biden used before taking office has prompted comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s keeping government records at his Mar-a-Lago home, raising questions about whether the two face the same legal consequences.

Legal experts who spoke to The Epoch Times gave contrasting views on the matter, with some insisting there’s no legal difference between Trump and Biden in terms of possible violations of laws that require classified documents to be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to be stored securely.

The key differences between the two cases that could have implications for how the Department of Justice (DOJ) ultimately views the incidents, according to the experts, boil down to the volume of records kept and the degree of cooperation around their return to NARA.

A “small number” of classified documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement as Biden’s lawyers were clearing out the offices, according to a statement on Jan. 9 by Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president.

Sauber said the documents were in a “locked closet” at the think tank Biden used after he served as vice president and that the records were turned over to NARA a day after they were found.
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After news broke of the Biden-linked classified-document stash, the president’s allies rushed to his defense, while people in Trump’s camp questioned whether Biden would be treated with kid gloves or whether he, too, would face an FBI raid ... “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified.”

Biden, who in September 2022 called Trump’s handling of classified documents “totally irresponsible,” has not publicly commented on the discovery of records at the think tank.
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“It doesn’t truly differ from Trump’s document stash at Mar-A-Lago,” [attorney Derek] Jacques said. “While there is the implication that storing them in your private residence might seem less secure than an office in a think tank, there is no legal difference between the two.”

 What a hypocrite Biden turned out to be at the end! How dared he criticize his opponent if he had committed a true crime at his own think thank?

IRS Announces It Sent Out 12 Million Tax Refunds After Making Corrections

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced it sent out 12 million refunds totaling nearly $15 billion after making corrections to taxes that were filed in 2020.

The agency said it reviewed forms 1040 and 1040-SR from the 2020 tax year that were filed before March 2021, or when the American Rescue Plan was signed into law. It excluded up to $10,200 in 2020 unemployment compensation, the IRS said, from taxable income calculations.

Other corrections that were made by the agency included adjustments to the Earned Income Tax Credit, Recovery Rebate Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, American Opportunity Tax Credit, Premium Tax Credit, and Advanced Tax Credit, according to the news release.

Taxpayers who are eligible for the unemployment compensation exclusion and whose 2020 taxes were not corrected by the agency should file an amended 2020 tax return to claim refunds or credits, said the IRS. People who believe they qualify for a refund can visit the IRS website for more details on how to file.
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“Some taxpayers received refunds, while others had the overpayment applied to taxes due or other debts,” the IRS also said. “In some cases, the exclusion only resulted in a reduction in their adjusted gross income.”

US, Canada, and Mexico Announce Plans to Boost Semiconductor Manufacturing

The United States, Canada, and Mexico will deepen “economic cooperation, promote investment, and reinforce competitiveness, innovation, and resilience by organizing the first-ever trilateral semiconductor forum with industry to adapt government policies and increase investment in semiconductor supply chains across North America,” the White House said.

The nations will also work together to coordinate semiconductor supply chain mapping efforts and identify “complementary investment opportunities,” the statement said.

Semiconductor chips are used for multiple purposes, including automotive manufacturing, telecommunication, and defense. The industry has been dominated by Asia for years, and disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic created problems in North American supply chains.

Semiconductor companies constructing new manufacturing facilities in the United States would like to have parts suppliers in Mexico, according to U.S. officials.
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López Obrador’s focus on strengthening Mexico’s state oil company and public power utility has prevented private and foreign investment. Mexico’s energy policy places billions of dollars in U.S. investments at risk, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Canada has joined the complaint.
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Last September, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo visited Mexico City and said that Mexico would benefit both from manufacturing facilities for semiconductors and from the testing, packaging, and assembly of chips.

She added that the CHIPS Act passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year will create jobs and opportunities for the United States and Mexico.

It's strange that they complain about that oil company for it would certainly keep some level of stability in the oil production sector. After all, if the oil price soars, everything gets more and more expensive  every day that passes. Of course, it would be different if those investments are fake or useless.

Canada to Buy $406-Million Surface-to-Air Missile System for Ukraine

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed U.S. President Joe Biden of the purchase on the sidelines of the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City on Tuesday.

Trudeau’s office said the move would involve buying an American-made National Advanced Surface–to-Air Missile System.

Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office said it will cost $406 million, and is “the first Canadian donation of an air-defence system to Ukraine.”

The money stems from the $500 million Trudeau announced in military aid for Ukraine last November during the G20 summit in Indonesia.