Convicted Felon Arrested After Firing on National Guard Members in Minneapolis — Following Violent Speech by Maxine Waters

The Minnesota National Guard was fired at in a drive-by shooting in north Minneapolis early Sunday morning — just hours after Rep. Maxine Waters told the Black Lives Matter extremists to be “more confrontational.”

Local news station WCCO reported that the Minnesota National Guard said its members, along with Minneapolis police officers, were “providing neighborhood security” near Penn and Broadway avenues when someone fired shots from a white SUV.

The shooting took place shortly after 4 a.m, shots were fired at the National Guard and law enforcement in north Minneapolis near W Broadway and Penn Ave N.

Two National Guard members sustained injuries.

Police later reported that a light-colored SUV had fired on police officers and National Guard members early on Sunday morning.

Via the Department of Justice:

The shooter is a convicted felon who was in possession of an illegal weapon!

Minneapolis Felon Charged With Illegal Possession Of A Firearm

Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk today announced a federal criminal complaint charging ANDREW THOMAS, 28, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. THOMAS will make his initial appearance tomorrow before Magistrate Judge Katherine M. Menendez in U.S. District Court.

According to the allegations in the criminal complaint, during the early morning hours of April 18, 2021, a team of Minnesota National Guard soldiers, along with an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, was stationed at the corner of Penn Avenue North and West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. At approximately 4:20 a.m., a light-colored SUV driving on West Broadway Avenue fired multiple shots at the team. One bullet went through the windshield of the team’s military vehicle, which held four soldiers. Two soldiers of the Minnesota National Guard sustained minor injuries: one was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries from shattered glass; the other was treated at the scene for superficial wounds.

The criminal complaint also alleges that during the late evening hours of April 18, 2021, Minneapolis Police officers patrolling the area of 6th Street South and Cedar Avenue South encountered a 2002 Ford Explorer that matched the description of the SUV involved in the shooting. After conducting a felony stop of the vehicle, the driver, later identified as THOMAS, and a juvenile passenger, were placed in separate police cars. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, officers recovered from the vehicle a Springfield Armory XD-9 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a .22 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number, ammunition, and two discharged cartridge casings. Because THOMAS has a prior felony conviction in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Minneapolis Police Department.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/breaking-convicted-felon-arrested-firing-national-guard-members-minneapolis-following-violent-speech-maxine-waters/

Unaccompanied Minors Rescued From Rio Grande

Two young unaccompanied minors have been rescued from the Rio Grande by Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio border sector. It’s the second-busiest border sector, and it lacks manpower and resources.

https://www.ntd.com/migrant-children-rescued-from-rio-grande_599978.html

Lionel Virgile Charged For Throwing Bleach In NYPD Officer’s Face, Tossing Lit Molotov Cocktail At Other Officers

A criminal complaint was filed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Lionel Virgile with attempted arson by allegedly using an improvised incendiary device commonly known as a “Molotov Cocktail” to damage and destroy a New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicle while police officers were inside the vehicle. Virgile was arrested on Saturday and made his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. The defendant was ordered detained pending trial.

“As alleged, the defendant deliberately sought to severely injure an NYPD police officer by throwing bleach at his eyes and to ignite an NYPD vehicle with officers inside by hurling a lit Molotov cocktail at it,” stated Acting United States Attorney Mark Lesko. “This Office simply will not tolerate the intentional infliction of physical harm on NYPD officers while they are working to protect our communities.” Mr. Lesko thanked the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the investigation.

“Virgile’s alleged attack on members of the NYPD is yet another reminder of the danger law enforcement officers face on a daily basis—and today’s charges should serve as a reminder to all that this type of behavior will be met with a swift response. As Virgile has now learned, the federal charge he faces carries the potential for a lengthy federal prison sentence. The NYPD’s quick response in neutralizing this threat to the public is a testament to its professionalism and dedication to keeping our city safe,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney.

“Attacks on uniformed police officers, as alleged in this federal complaint, are not only crimes against our sworn public servants but are unacceptable assaults on the fabric of society. I commend our NYPD officers and our partners in the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for working closely to ensure that Lionel Virgile, the accused assailant in this case, faces justice,” stated NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.

According to the complaint, in the morning of April 17, 2021, NYPD officers in a marked vehicle observed Virgile drive his Lincoln Town Car through a steady red traffic light at the intersection of Clarendon Road and East 45th Street in East Flatbush. When the officers approached Virgile’s car, he opened the driver side door and threw a cup containing a chemical substance in one of the NYPD officer’s eyes that was later determined to be bleach.

https://breaking911.com/lionel-virgile-charged-for-throwing-bleach-in-nypd-officers-face-tossing-lit-molotov-cocktail-at-other-officers/

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Temecula Girl IDs Corona Man In Sex Crimes Investigation

Steven Michael Rawley of Corona pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of sex with a minor.

CORONA, CA — A 36-year-old man accused of engaging in sex acts with a 16-year-old girl he met via the internet pleaded not guilty Monday to a half-dozen felony charges.

Steven Michael Rawley of Corona was arrested just over a week ago following a Riverside County sheriff's investigation that was related to an earlier but separate sex crimes case.

In the current case, Rawley is charged with two counts each of unlawful intercourse with a minor and arranging to meet a minor for the purpose of committing a sexual offense and one count each of oral copulation of a child under 18 years old and furnishing a minor with marijuana — all felonies.

Rawley was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Judith Clark, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 4 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. The date coincides with the defendant's scheduled arraignment in the other case.

The judge also lowered the defendant's bail from $500,000 to $75,000 because he has no prior felony convictions. It was not immediately clear if he would be able to post the bond.

https://patch.com/california/temecula/temecula-girl-ids-corona-man-sex-crimes-investigation

CNN’s Lemon: Waters Shouldn’t Have Made Comments, But She’s ‘Not the Issue Here’ and Is Saying ‘Truth’ about ‘Urgency’ of Demonstrating

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” CNN host Don Lemon said that Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) “Absolutely” should not have made the comments she did about reacting to the verdict in the Chauvin trial, “Everyone knows” she “is not calling for violence” and makes a lot of white men uncomfortable. Waters “is not the issue here” and he doesn’t want to criticize her “for speaking the truth for where she comes from and what she is and the urgency for people to get out and demonstrate and demonstrate in the right way, not causing riots and violence.”

Lemon said, “Maxine Waters is a sharp-tongued, rabble-rousing lawmaker who came out of the Civil Rights movement and as a black woman who had to fight tooth and nail for everything that she has gotten. So, while I, as a black person, can understand her rage and her anger, I understand that, and I understand that she makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Now, look at me, everyone, do you really think Maxine Waters is calling for violence? Maxine Waters is not calling for violence. Everyone knows that. She makes a lot of people uncomfortable, especially a lot of men and, quite frankly, especially a lot of white men. Because she puts them in their place. She tells you, shut up, respect this person, don’t talk to me that way, and she gives it to you like it is.”

He continued, “Now, that said, do I think what she said was constructive? Absolutely not. Do I think that she should have said it? Absolutely not. Do I think that she gave her enemies ammunition? I certainly do. She handed it to them, and that’s the problem. Maxine Waters is not the issue here and we cannot be distracted by Maxine Waters. There’s a baseball game going on and everyone’s watching the fight in the stands. And of course, the defense is going to use Maxine Waters as a defense. They’re going to use anything that they can use. That is obvious. But Maxine Waters is not the problem when it comes to state violence against black people and we have got to keep our eye on the prize. And the people who are criticizing her, quite frankly, most of the people are the insurrectionists’ people who supported the insurrection on Capitol Hill or the people who support the lie about the election or the people, in many ways, who are supporting state violence against black people. So, was it strategic for Maxine Waters to say what she said in this moment? No. She needs to be more responsible with her words and considering how long she has been in the Congress and in the public eye, she should know better. But do people — was Maxine Waters really calling for people to loot and riot? I think most people with half a brain [know] that’s not what she was doing. Should she have been more responsible and more careful? Absolutely. So, there is nuance in that. I don’t want to sit here and criticize and demonize Maxine Waters for speaking the truth for where she comes from and what she is and the urgency for people to get out and demonstrate and demonstrate in the right way, not causing riots and violence. Again, more careful with her words, but there is nuance in this.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/04/19/cnns-lemon-waters-shouldnt-have-made-comments-but-shes-not-the-issue-here-and-is-saying-truth-about-urgency-of-demonstrating/

Liberal think tank took $2M from Qatar while its future president was lobbying White House for Qatar

General John Allen asked National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to take specific actions beneficial to Qatar during diplomatic crisis.

The Brookings Institution, one of the most influential think tanks in Washington, reported receiving $2 million from Qatar during the same period one of its leaders was advocating for Qatar with the White House.

Just the News obtained June 2017 emails between retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, who led a Brookings program at the time, and then-National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.

They show Allen, the former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force, requesting that McMaster take specific actions beneficial to Qatar. The national security advisor later responds that he has taken some of those actions.

Days before the email exchanges, Saudi Arabia closed its land border with Qatar and imposed an air and sea blockade along with other Gulf states, accusing the emirate of supporting terrorism. They also demanded Qatar distance itself from Iran and give up its prized Al Jazeera television network.

Brookings' annual report for 2017 says the Qatari money was given during the period July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The report notes that the liberal think tank operates a research center in Qatar.

Four months after the emails to McMaster advocating for Qatar, Brookings named Allen its next president.

Allen's name does not return any listings as a current or former foreign lobbyist in the Justice Department's database of registrants under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. His undisclosed advocacy for Qatar could plausibly violate FARA.

Just the News asked Allen who he was working on behalf of in his exchanges with McMaster, whether he registered under FARA, if he's had any contact with the Justice Department or FBI related to his Qatar contacts, if Allen personally received money from Qatar, whether he was aware Qatar had donated money to Brookings when he contacted McMaster, whether Brookings played a role in his advocacy for Qatar, and if he's concerned about the appearance that Qatar paid for his access to McMaster.

He did not respond to queries to his personal and Brookings email addresses, calls to his cell phone, or emails to his personal spokesperson Beau Phillips.

"John Allen has not engaged in any fundraising for Brookings in Qatar, and the institution has never received a contribution from Qatar or any Qatari entities or individuals in connection with John Allen's activities," a spokesperson for Brookings told Just the News. The spokesperson did not answer a request to provide the specific date or dates of the $2 million in donations from Qatar disclosed in its annual report.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/liberal-think-tank-took-2m-qatar-while-its-future-president-was