US: Capital Gazette gunman gets more than five life sentences

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/28/capital-gazette-gunman-gets-more-than-five-life-sentences

Prosecutors accused Ramos of planning to kill as many people as possible in an act of revenge after the newspaper published a story about a harassment conviction he received in 2011.

Ramos had pleaded guilty but not criminally responsible, arguing Maryland’s version of an insanity defence. A jury found him criminally responsible in July after a 12-day trial that was repeatedly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Couple celebrating 50th anniversary died in train derailment

https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-georgia-brunswick-montana-be07237f270482cacba42a74ece85d73

Kozlowski, managing broker at Coldwell Banker Access Realty in the port city of Brunswick. “They were in Washington, D.C., and headed west.”

A day later, the couple died when an Amtrak train they were on derailed in rural Montana.

They were among three people who died along with a 29-year-old Illinois man named Zachariah Schneider, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office in Montana. Schneider was a software developer and big Packers fan. He was traveling to Oregon with his wife, who survived.

Everybody at the office knew about the big trip and were excited for the couple. One co-worker joked that Don Varnadoe, 74, might have to leave Margie Varnadoe, 72, at home when he struggled with his computer to print out her ticket.

“He said, ‘This is our trip of a lifetime and we’re so looking forward to it,’” recalled Kozlowski, his boss of 18 years.

The Varnadoes had lived 45 years on St. Simons Island, home to about 15,000 people just over an hour’s drive south of Savannah. Kozlowski said Don Varnadoe loved to tell the story of how the moving truck arrived on July 4, 1976 — the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“If you want an example of how to treat people, Don and Margie were them,” Kozlowski said. “With their faith and the way they treated people, they’re in a good place, I think.”

⤴️⤴️45 - Independence Day reference

SENATOR COTTON: ‘General Milley, Why Haven’t You Resigned?’

https://hannity.com/media-room/senator-cotton-general-milley-why-havent-you-resigned/

US generals contradict Biden on leaving troops in Afghanistan

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-generals-contradict-biden-on-leaving-troops-in-afghanistan/2377399

Top American generals said Tuesday that they recommended keeping several thousand US troops in Afghanistan, contradicting President Joe Biden who said last month that no one suggested he leave military personnel.

"I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. And I also recommended earlier in the fall of 2020 that we will maintain 4,500 of that time, those are my personal views," said CENTCOM Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie.

"I also had a view that the withdrawal of those forces would lead inevitably to the collapse of the Afghan military forces, and eventually the Afghan government," McKenzie told a Senate hearing on the Afghanistan withdrawal, alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

In August, Biden said in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that no military leader advised him to leave a small troop presence in Afghanistan.

"So no one told – your military advisors did not tell you, 'No, we should just keep 2,500 troops. It's been a stable situation for the last several years. We can do that. We can continue to do that"? Stephanopoulos asked Biden on Aug. 18.

"No. No one said that to me that I can recall," Biden replied at the time.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley also said he recommended that 2,500-3,500 troops stay in Afghanistan.

"My assessment was back in the fall of 20 and it remained consistent throughout, we should keep a steady state at 2,500 and it could bounce up to 3,500 Maybe something like that, in order to move toward a negotiated gated solution," said Milley.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after taking Kabul on Aug. 15 two weeks ahead of US withdrawal, forcing President Ashraf Ghani and other top officials to leave the country.

The unexpected power grab triggered a rush to flee Afghanistan, including civilians who assisted foreign soldiers or groups and now fear the Taliban’s retribution.

#BidanUnderTheBus