News from the note…
A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.
Consider this an OPEN THREAD, folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.
Assange’s refuge in Ecuadorian embassy ‘in jeopardy’
From CNN
Julian Assange’s nearly six-year refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London is in danger, opening the WikiLeaks founder to arrest by British authorities and potential extradition to the US, multiple sources with knowledge tell CNN.
While Assange has in the past claimed his position in the embassy was under threat, sources say his current situation is “unusually bad” and that he could leave the embassy “any day now,” either because he will be forced out or made to feel so restricted that he might choose to leave on his own. His position there is “in jeopardy,” one source familiar with the matter said.
Border Patrol union chief calls Trump troop deployment ‘a colossal waste’
From Politico
President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy members of the National Guard to the southern U.S. border with Mexico is “a colossal waste of resources,” according to the leader of a union representing members of the U.S. Border Patrol.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, who represents roughly 15,000 agents, panned the measure that the president implemented last month to beef up border security and curb illegal immigration, regarding it as fruitless, according to a Los Angeles Times report released late Thursday. “We have seen no benefit,” Judd said.
Roger Stone sought dirt on Clinton from Assange during 2016 election: report
From The Hill
Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone wanted WikiLeakers founder Julian Assange to give him damaging information on then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Emails reportedly show Stone requesting an acquaintance ask Assange for emails about Clinton’s alleged role in interfering with a possible peace deal in Libya in 2011, when she was secretary of State.
Trump pardons late boxer Jack Johnson
From Politico
President Donald Trump has granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing’s first black heavyweight champion more than 100 years after what Trump said many feel was a racially motivated injustice.
Jack Johnson was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for “immoral” purposes.
George Zimmerman tells court he’s $2.5 million in debt
From AP
The ex-neighborhood watch volunteer who killed a black teen in Florida in 2012 says he’s $2.5 million in debt and has no income.
George Zimmerman filed paperwork detailing his financial state as he fights a misdemeanor stalking charge.
The Orlando Sentinel reports a public defender filed a not-guilty plea for Zimmerman and a request for a jury trial.
Surging gas prices could fuel backlash against Trump
From Politico
President Donald Trump is hoping a wave of tax-cut-fueled economic euphoria will boost his approval ratings and his party’s political fortunes this fall. A sharp spike in gas prices could slam the brakes on all of that.
As Americans head out for traditional Memorial Day weekend road trips, they’ll confront gas prices of nearly $3 a gallon, the highest since 2014 and a 25 percent spike since last year.
Judge doesn’t believe Mueller’s office has been leaking
From CNN
US District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who will oversee the sentencing of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Thursday weighed the possibility that special counsel Robert Muller’s office has been leaking grand jury secrets to the media.
Yet Sullivan was doubtful that has happened.
The right-leaning open government group Freedom Watch is asking the court to speed up a public records request it made in January for all communication between media outlets and the FBI, the Justice Department and its office of special counsel about the Russia probe.
Devin Nunes wants to run an intel operation for the White House — against our intelligence agencies
From NBC
In the intelligence community, we were taught that the most valuable information an officer can collect is both relevant and actionable — relevant to policymakers and actionable in the sense that it presents them with an opportunity to do something to advance America’s national security interests. But it’s not just intelligence professionals who’ve learned this lesson.
Since the Watergate era, Congress has played an indispensable role overseeing our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and national security professionals are required by statute to keep Congressional officials informed of their activities, as appropriate. When I was a CIA analyst, though, I viewed such briefings — like Thursday’s meetings between the FBI, Justice Department, intelligence community officials and Congressional leaders — as mere routine. They mostly afforded a more candid, behind-closed-doors view of our elected officials: The brilliant, the hypocritical and, all too often, the disinterested.
