https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/congressional-candidate-says-she-was-assaulted-by-anti-voting-protesters/

A small group of masked protesters often show up at city hall, campaign events, and large gatherings to protest against participating in elections. A local candidate for Congress, Heidi Sloan, accused members of the group of assaulting her Sunday after a campaign event.

Sloan is a Democratic-Socialist candidate in the primary for the Texas 25th Congressional District. She’s running against Democrat Julie Oliver in the Democratic primary. The winner will face incumbent Republican Roger Williams in the November election.

Sloan claims members of the masked groups, Incendiary News Service, the Red Guards, and Defend Our Hoodz followed, harassed, shoved, and hit her with an egg carton filled with eggs and red paint after a post-canvas event at the East Austin bar, Kinda Tropical.

“The line had been crossed between political differences and physical assault,” said Sloan.

The website Incendiary News Service posted a video of a masked person hitting Sloan in the face with an egg carton. The group, Defend Our Hoodz stated they supported the action online.

On Twitter, the group states the Democratic Socialists of America “sent a horde of gringos and Bernie bros to push voting in a gentrifying neighborhood. Working class people of all races don’t vote in the majority, because they understand the imperialist elections don’t serve them. We stand with the revolutionaries who confronted” the Democratic Socialists.

KXAN reached out to the group by email. They deny group members “assaulted” Sloan but when asked if group members hit her with the carton of eggs, they didn’t directly answer.

“The allegations that our organization ‘assaulted’ local congressional candidate Heidi Sloan are totally false and we condemn wild accusations by her as she tries to promote her political campaign. We had no part in the alleged assault, and also know that people feel anger towards those who push voting for politicians who will not solve gentrification or stop US Imperialism,” the generic email for Defend Our Hoodz wrote to KXAN via email. A spokesperson did not want to go on camera with KXAN.

In a statement to KXAN’s Phil Prazan, Incendiary News Service said members of their group were not involved.

“Unlike your attempt to verify her claims, Heidi Sloan has acted without investigation and wants to accuse any group of her alleged assault with no concern for the truth or legal process. Our organization covered the events yesterday, truthfully, from the perspective of the working class,” wrote whoever is behind the generic email for Incendiary News Service.

KXAN also reached out to Red Guards for a comment but did not hear back.

Red Guards and Defend Our Hoodz protest participating in American elections; instead they call for a revolution to overthrow the capitalist system. Incendiary News Service follows and documents groups like Defend Our Hoodz and Red Guards Austin, often posting articles and messaging about their efforts. Sloan told KXAN their efforts hurt the very people they’re hoping to help.

“That’s a form of voter suppression. That is continuing to propagate oppression we have seen for too long. And I think it’s time we speak out against that,” said Sloan.

The organizations are different from Democratic-Socialism, whose supporters believe change should come from within the American election system.

Sloan, however, did not call the police or make a report. She believes doing so would escalate the situation. She opposes many aspects of the countries penal, the correctional system, and feels victims of crimes – like her – don’t get enough say in how punishment is dealt. She is working with her lawyers on how to move forward.

…………

wonder how much sloan paid these groups for the publicity

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200114000786

Lee Soo-man, founder and chief producer of SM Entertainment, one of the big three agencies in the K-pop world, said Tuesday that he sees no fault in artist management and that online hate speech is to blame for suicides and increasing cases of K-pop stars suffering from anxiety disorders.

“There is no fault in the system. I take pride in (our artist management) system … we are possibly No. 1 worldwide. We think a lot about the education and character (of artists),” Lee said at a seminar in central Seoul on K-pop and innovation.

“Once again, before criticizing our system, the public, parents and teachers should tell (children) not to download illegal content. It would be appreciated if parents asked their children nicely not to write hateful comments online.”

His comments follow a series of suicides by K-pop artists, which have raised alarm bells in a country that takes pride in its growing cultural clout throughout the world.

>>7808659

heard bad things from yejin park

https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/downpours-to-help-douse-flames-as-more-than-100-australia-bushfires-continue-to-burn/661550

Recent rainfall and cooler weather allowed firefighters to contain some blazes across Victoria and New South Wales in the past week; however, more than 100 fires are ongoing in New South Wales and nearly 20 blazes continue to burn in Victoria as of Monday.

A period of more widespread and substantial rainfall is in the forecast from late this week into early next week.

A cold front advancing into the region on Thursday will bring relief from the heat and also spark widespread showers and thunderstorms.

Central and eastern Victoria and New South Wales, as well as the Australian Capital Territory, will all have an increased chance for rainfall starting Thursday.

Daily downpours will be possible across the same areas from Friday into early next week.

Rainfall amounts of 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) will be common through Sunday with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall of 150 mm (6 inches) in eastern New South Wales.

While this rainfall will not be enough to fully extingish the largest blazes, some smaller bushfires may be brought under control by the upcoming rainfall.

Erdogan says Turkey will 'teach Haftar a lesson' in Libya if he doesn't stop offensive

This comes after the Libyan National Army leader Khalifa Haftar left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement with the head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202001141078032116-erdogan-says-turkey-will-teach-haftar-a-lesson-in-libya-if-he-doesnt-stop-offensive/

this sounds familiar

……..

https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/brazil/with-20-percent-of-vacant-seats-brazil-records-a-4400-judge-deficit/

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - One in every five judge seats in Brazil is vacant, according to data from the National Council of Justice (CNJ). According to the body, in 2018 there were approximately 18,000 magistrates in office and some 4,400 vacant positions.

The majority (69 percent) are in the state courts, a branch showing a 22 percent vacancy. In the Federal Court, which has just over 1,900 judges, the rate is 24 percent.

…….

the rest is paywall'd

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/report-board-finds-no-reason-to-separate-uss-fitzgerald-lieutenant-for-role-in-fatal-collision-1.614559

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Navy lieutenant faulted for her role in the USS Fitzgerald’s fatal collision will not be forced from the Navy but allowed to exit with an honorable discharge instead, a board of inquiry has decided.

Lt. Natalie Combs, a tactical action officer aboard the guided-missile destroyer, was censured in April for failure to perform her duties that day. The destroyer collided June 17, 2017, with a container ship, the ACX Crystal, about 60 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, where the warship was based. Seven sailors died in the collision.

A Navy board of inquiry on Thursday found no reason to force Combs from the Navy after 11 years of service, the Navy Times reported.

Navy officials and Combs’ attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In 2018, Combs and her commanding office, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, faced criminal charges stemming from the collision, including negligent dereliction of duty resulting in death and negligent hazarding of a vessel. The charges were dropped last year.

Instead, the two received letters of censure from the secretary of the Navy.

The letter to Benson stated that his “ineffective leadership and poor judgment were causal factors in the collision.”

Combs’ letter accused her of demonstrating “incompetent and ineffective leadership” for “failure to perform duties,” “ineffective communication and failure to make recommendations to the bridge watch team.”

Censure letters are public rebukes that draw shame and acknowledge wrongdoing, but do not carry legal implications or impact retirement benefits or pay for the reprimanded officers.

Post-collision reports identified causal factors beyond the actions of the Fitzgerald officers. Several reports pointed to institutional failures.

A Navy report in late 2017 said the accident was “preventable,” and listed crew exhaustion, skipped certifications, poor watch-standing and training and manning problems among the causes.

The service has since implemented about 100 changes, including tightened surface warfare officer qualifications, to address these issues.

An August post-collision report by the Japan Transport Safety Board said it was “somewhat likely” that the Fitzgerald was “not properly on the lookout” for ACX Crystal. That report also listed other contributing factors, including the ACX Crystal’s failure to sound danger signals or contact the Fitzgerald before the crash.

The Fitzgerald crash was the first of two deadly collisions in the 7th Fleet in 2017.

Ten sailors died when the USS John S. McCain collided with the tanker Alnic MC near Singapore on Aug. 21, 2017. Confusion among McCain watch-standers led to a loss of steering control, and the destroyer crossed into the civilian oil tanker’s path, according to a Navy post-collision report.

>>7808736

justice started there when they arrested the former president