Ukrainian officials say black box transcript of downed jet proves 'illegal interference' by Iran

Authorities in Ukraine say black box recorders of a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 jet that crashed after being hit by two surface-to-air missiles show evidence that the Iranian government illegally interfered with the plane. In a Friday afternoon tweet, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhenii Yenin said an international team of researchers studying the in-flight recorders in France confirmed that missiles shot from the ground in Iran were responsible for the crash that killed all 178 passengers aboard. "Grateful to all partners who helped bring this moment closer," Yenin wrote. "Black boxes from #PS752 were read out and deciphered successfully. The transcript confirmed the fact of illegal interference with the plane. We are waiting for the Iranian side for the first round of talks next week."

The jet was shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport on Jan. 8 amid a tense five-day stretch following the targeted strike of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Iranian officials denied responsibility for downing the jetliner in the days after the accident, initially blaming technical problems or the plane’s pilots. But Tehran admitted to downing the plane on Jan. 11, and audio leaked from moments following the incident revealed officials in the Middle Eastern nation knew almost immediately of the crash. The shoot-down came in the hours after Iran had launched more than a dozen short-range ballistic missiles at bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq. The barrage of missiles was in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani. Iran blames a chain of errors for the downing of the plane.

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that the black box would be sent to France, and he also reportedly told Ukraine that Iran was ready to “resolve legal issues and discuss how to compensate the families” of victims but was awaiting a Ukrainian delegation. There has been much hand-wringing over the fate of the black box, with Iran blaming the delay on the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran particularly hard. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his administration was unsatisfied with the limited amount of communication from Iranian officials in the wake of the crash that killed 82 Iranians, 63 Canadian passengers, and 11 Ukrainians.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ukrainian-officials-say-black-box-transcript-of-downed-jet-proves-illegal-interference-by-iran

Protesters call to march on residence of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf

A protest group is calling on demonstrators to march on the Virginia residence of acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf this weekend. According to an email sent to activists from ShutdownDC, demonstrators want to gather Sunday morning and demand President Trump’s federal agents to “be removed from every city,” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished, and for every person detained by Customs and Border Protection to be released. Wolf is helping to spearhead the administration’s efforts to quell the violence in several cities across the country where riots have erupted, particularly on federal property.

Actions to protect federal property in cities such as Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have resulted in violent face-offs with civilian crowds throwing rocks, frozen water bottles, and mortars, as well as using laser pointers to blind federal agents. “The Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, was deployed to Portland, Oregon last week. Since then, unidentified federal agents have violently attacked protesters and bystanders, including with chemical weapons, and kidnapped people in unmarked vans,” read the protest announcement from ShutdownDC. “We will not retreat,” Wolf said in a press conference Tuesday. “We will continue to take appropriate action.” He defended the federal agents saying, "They're not military or civilian police officers. These police officers are not storm troopers. They're not the Gestapo.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to DHS for comment. Protesters have previously marched on other government officials' residences in recent weeks. Chicago protesters marched to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s house on Thursday demanding that she defund the police, and demonstrators marched over to the house of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan during the existence of the city’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone last month.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/protesters-call-to-march-on-residence-of-acting-dhs-secretary-chad-wolf

Woman accused of trying to send al Qaeda money to 'kill Americans' arrested at Arizona airport

An Arizona woman who tried to send money to al Qaeda was arrested at an airport as she tried to get to Syria, according to the FBI. Jill Marie Jones, 35, was booked by federal officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday before boarding a flight bound for Los Angeles, then Turkey, with the ultimate goal of entering war-torn Syria to work with terrorists, court documents reveal. She was charged with attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda. Jones began communicating with an undercover FBI agent in March, who then connected her with a second undercover investigator, according to court documents. During the course of their interactions, Jones expressed disdain for the United States and a desire to help al Qaeda. She allegedly purchased a $500 prepaid gift card that she thought was used to purchase scopes for rifles to “kill Americans.”

“May it help them be victorious,” Jones allegedly told the undercover agent after the transaction. During discussions of the funding, she also noted the coronavirus relief checks that people in the U.S. received because of the pandemic. “The timing is interesting,” she allegedly told the agent in May. “Since because of coronavirus, we all got government money. Free money basically. We would be delayed without it anyway, and it would be most ironic the money from that goes for this … They give us free money, and I turn it around on them.” The FBI said that while Jones had first planned to travel to Afghanistan by way of Tajikistan, because of the coronavirus, the plan changed to going to Syria. She had expected the undercover agent to travel with her. During her conversations with the undercover agent, she also allegedly hinted that she had considered domestic terrorist attacks in the past.

“I had, at one time, thought of acting here, I have a base near me. But my power is limited here. My resources and its reach,” Jones is quoted in court documents as saying. “Even then, the brothers and sisters here would only be negatively impacted by it. They would get more harassment, and the ones that aren’t strong will go further from Islam from it.” During her conversations, investigators said she spoke about not being overly concerned about where she would end up in the Middle East. At one point, she allegedly suggested joining Tanzim Hurras al Din, also known as Guardians of Religion, a terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda, although she confessed she had little knowledge of the individual militant groups within the larger al Qaeda umbrella. “Well I won’t lie this world holds nothing for me. I’m ready to go home. It’s a reason I’m not scared of this journey. Knowing I may die or be molested on the way even. But I’d rather live one more day fighting for freedom and Islam, then living years as a ‘free’ captive of the kuffar,” she is accused of writing during one of the conversations, using the Arabic word “kuffar,” which means nonbeliever. Jones was arrested after checking her bags at the airport and making her way through the security check. Her next scheduled court appearance is set for Monday, and she faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/woman-accused-of-trying-to-send-al-qaeda-money-to-kill-americans-arrested-at-arizona-airport

>>10068930

Jones Criminal Complaint

https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1297361/download

Taxpayer mugging: Federal employees can get one day off for every 1.4 days worked

They already make an average 55% more in wages and compensation than private sector workers, get 10 paid holidays, and can be eligible for another 99 paid days off, so when Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson considered giving federal employees an additional free day for Juneteenth, he balked. “I am happy to celebrate Juneteenth. I think we should celebrate the fact that we did remove that original sin by emancipating slaves,” said Johnson in blocking Senate approval Wednesday. “I simply don’t believe we should make American taxpayers in the private sector pony up $600 million a year, $6 billion over 10 years, to give federal workers, who already are paid quite generously and have quite a few days off, one more paid day off,” he added.

While certainly a disappointment to the bipartisan drive for a "Juneteenth" holiday, Johnson brought to the debate a revealing calculation of the benefits federal workers receive, taxpayer-funded perks that would make any private worker envious. At a minimum, he showed in charts, federal employees are eligible for some 96 days of paid leave. That includes 60 days of parental leave. At a maximum, it totals 109 days of paid leave. That means, said Johnson, those who take the maximum leave get one paid day off for every 1.4 days they work. Those who don’t take the 60 days of paid parental leave but do all their holiday, sick, and vacation time, still get a paid day off for every 4.3 days of work, he showed. “A four-day workweek for the entire year,” said Johnson. “Quite generous,” he added. His office distributed a release spelling out his numbers and argument.

A businessman before coming to Washington, he also put a price to taxpayers for just one holiday ($600 million) and suggested that giving federal workers a new holiday should be offset by taking a current one away. Johnson stressed that he wasn’t punishing federal workers, but instead is concerned about the growing federal deficit and the sky-high unemployment rate that deserve more focus than another paid federal holiday. Under his plan, Johnson said, “They will have the exact same number of days off as they have currently, and the American taxpayer will not be out an extra $600 million per year or $6 billion over 10 years.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/taxpayer-mugging-federal-employees-can-get-1-day-off-for-every-1-4-worked

DHS plane covertly surveilled Portland amid riots

A plane belonging to the Department of Homeland Security flew for hours in the sky over downtown Portland Wednesday night in what may be a surveillance operation, according to the Washington Examiner’s search of flight data. The small plane, a Beechcraft Super King Air 350, departed from Bellingham International Airport in northwest Washington state and went several hundred miles south to Portland then flew in circles at 10,000 feet over the northwestern side of the city for nearly three hours before landing at Portland International Airport, according to flight records. It took off again an hour later, flying again around downtown then returned to Bellingham shortly before 2 a.m. local time.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment on the operation. DHS has not revealed how it used the plane, including to track users' cellphone data or people suspected of attacking federal police. DHS’s Customs and Border Protection agency has used drones and helicopters to watch protesters demonstrating in cities across the country in the weeks following the death of George Floyd in police custody. Last month, a U.S. Marshals Service plane was observed flying above a Portland Police Bureau aircraft over downtown. The Marshals Service is housed within the Justice Department, and its personnel have been assisting DHS law enforcement in Portland amid attacks on federal buildings since late May. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Earl Blumenauer, Oregon Democrats, then called on the government not to use planes to spy on the public.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/dhs-plane-covertly-surveilled-portland-amid-riots

>>10069155

I hear you anon, these are fruits of a unionized government. Something that shouldn't be there in the first place.