Schiff subpoenas Homeland Security, charges 'unlawful obstruction'

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) issued two subpoenas to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, alleging that agency officials are "unlawfully obstructing" his panel's investigation related to a whistleblower complaint.

Schiff is seeking public testimony from Joseph Maher, the top official carrying out the duties of the under secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, related to charges from a whistleblower that top political appointees at the department sought to politicize intelligence.

“After weeks, and in some cases months, of attempted accommodation with the Department, we were left with no choice but to issue two subpoenas today," Schiff said in a statement.

“Simply put, the Committee will no longer tolerate the obstruction and attempts to run out the clock by the Department," Schiff added.

Democrats want Maher to testify Friday about why the whistleblower, Brian Murphy, was not granted access to classified records related to his complaint.

Schiff also issued a subpoena to compel DHS to produce the records the panel is seeking by next Tuesday.

The subpoenas come after Schiff twice postponed scheduled depositions with Murphy, who was formerly the acting under secretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

Murphy's legal team said it had not received access to documents related to his complaint, which detailed allegations that top department officials repeatedly sought to politicize intelligence to match President Trump’s public remarks, including about threats like Russian interference.

Murphy alleges in his complaint that there was a pattern of misconduct in which top political appointees repeatedly pressed him to modify or alter intelligence on key issues.

Perhaps the most alarming allegation Murphy makes is his claim that acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, under the direction of White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien, instructed him earlier this year to stop producing intelligence reports centered on Russian interference efforts and instead focus on the threats posed by China and Iran.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/518782-schiff-subpoenas-dhs-for-testimony-records-over-whistleblower

Disney Slams California as it Lays Off 28,000 Employees

STATEMENT FROM JOSH D’AMARO, CHAIRMAN, DISNEY PARKS, EXPERIENCES AND PRODUCTS (DPEP)

In light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic – exacerbated in California by the State’s unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen – we have made the very difficult decision to begin the process of reducing our workforce at our Parks, Experiences and Products segment at all levels, having kept non-working Cast Members on furlough since April, while paying healthcare benefits. Approximately 28,000 domestic employees will be affected, of which about 67% are part-time. We are talking with impacted employees as well as to the unions on next steps for union-represented Cast Members.

Over the past several months, we’ve been forced to make a number of necessary adjustments to our business, and as difficult as this decision is today, we believe that the steps we are taking will enable us to emerge a more effective and efficient operation when we return to normal. Our Cast Members have always been key to our success, playing a valued and important role in delivering a world-class experience, and we look forward to providing opportunities where we can for them to return.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-disney-slams-california-as-it-lays-off-28000-employees/

Navy SEALs remove terms like 'brotherhood' from ethos to be more gender-neutral

The changes were made but no women have completed the 'SEAL or SWCC qualification training'

The U.S. Navy SEALs and the Navy Special Warfare Combat-craft Crewman have removed so-called gendered terms like "brotherhood" from their ethos and creed statements in an effort to present the Navy as gender-neutral.

Another change made to the SEAL ethos was to alter the words "A common man with uncommon desire to succeed" to "Common citizens with uncommon desire to succeed."

The changes were made to comply with changes in the law allowing women to serve in the SEALs and SWCC, a spokesman for Naval Special Warfare told American Military News.

"Naval Special Warfare continues to deliberately develop a culture of tactical and ethical excellence that reflects the nation we represent, and that draws upon the talents of the all-volunteer force who meet the standards of qualification as a SEAL or SWCC," Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Stroup said.

"The previous versions of the SEAL Ethos and SWCC Creed were written prior to the law allowing women to serve as operators in Naval Special Warfare," Stroup continued. "The changes do not in any way reflect lowering standards of entry, rather they ensure that all those who meet the requirements to train to become a SEAL or SWCC are represented in the ethos or creed they live out. This improves the posture of the NSW force by ensuring we draw from the greatest pool of talent available."

"To date, no women completed the SEAL or SWCC qualification training pipelines," he added.

The new SEAL ethos can be found on the official website for the Naval Special Warfare Command. American Military News provided a link to an archived version of the ethos containing the original language.

From the report:

Another alteration to the first paragraph changes the phrase "I am that man" to "I am that warrior."

In the fourth paragraph, the sentence, "The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men" is changed to "The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from others" in the new version of the SEAL ethos.

In the final paragraph of the ethos statement, the prior sentence states, "Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold." The sentence is now changed with the reference to "Brave men" changed to "Brave SEALs."

The memo also calls for the SWCC creed to change the term "Brotherhood" in the first paragraph to "group of maritime warriors." Additionally, the memo states the sentence "I challenge my brothers to perform, as I expect them to challenge me" is to be changed to "I challenge them to perform, as I expect them to challenge me."

American Military News also provided links to the new version of the SWCC creed and compared it to a copy of the older version without the gender-neutral changes from the U.S. Special Operations Command website.

"The changes come despite the fact that there have been no women to successfully complete SEAL or SWCC training and enter the elite units," American Military News reports.

Retired SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was pardoned by President Trump of one war crime conviction and acquitted of other serious charges, blasted the changes to the SEALs creed in an Instagram post Friday.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/navy-seals-brotherhood-gender-neutral