Capitol pipe-bomber still at large – National & International News – THU 14Apr2021

Capitol pipe-bomber still at large. Floyd trial: Defense witness lambasted. Ending America’s longest war. Japan to dump radioactive water in ocean.

NATIONAL NEWS

Capitol riot pipe-bomber still at large

Since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the FBI has detained and charged hundreds of suspects. However, the identity of one high-priority target has so far eluded them. On the evening of Jan. 5, someone planted two live pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC offices at the perimeter of the Capitol grounds. Video surveillance caught images of the person, who was wearing a gray hoodie, a face mask, dark pants and expensive Nike sneakers with a distinctive logo. Left with little else to go on, the FBI has conducted “gait analysis” studying the person’s posture, their stride length and how they carry themselves when they walk. The FBI is hoping for help from members of the public that might know who this person is.

It’s not clear from reporting why the devices weren’t detonated or exactly when they were found. The FBI speculates that the bombs, located on the outer perimeter of the Capitol complex, might have been intended as a diversionary tactic to draw officers and other resources away from the Capitol building itself.

Other failures left Capitol vulnerable

A scathing report detailing an internal investigation by Capitol Police cites numerous failures that left the Capitol vulnerable on Jan. 6. Capitol Police have not publicly released the report despite urging from Congress, but the Associated Press managed to obtain a copy. The report points to failures by leadership heed warnings from the FBI in the days and weeks before the riot. Other contributing factors include outdated and expired equipment and a lack of a clear counter-insurrection plan and relevant training. The report also reveals that former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund called for the National Guard a little after 2pm after rioters had already breached the building. The Pentagon reportedly “didn’t like the optics” of National Guard opposing protesters, so didn’t send reinforcements until after 5pm.  You can read more about this here.

Chauvin defense witness caves on cross-examination

Use-of-force expert Barry Brodd took the stand yesterday in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, charged with the murder of George Floyd. Elements of Brodd’s initial testimony, where he argued Chauvin’s use of force against Floyd was ‘justified’ received considerable scrutiny in the prosecution’s cross-examination. Brodd testified that Chauvin acted with “objective reasonableness” in keeping Floyd pinned to the ground in a prone position.

Brodd repeated as fact two now thoroughly-debunked fallacies in police use of force. The first was that it is “safe” to keep a suspect pinned to the ground in a prone position with their hands cuffed behind their back for a prolonged period of time. The second was that if a suspect says repeatedly “I can’t breathe”, that means they can breathe. Numerous experts in law enforcement and medical fields have rejected this assumption as false.

Cross-examination

When questioned about the prone position, Brodd was forced to admit that the danger of positional asphyxiation in this restraint has been well-known in law enforcement circles for decades.

Prosecutor Steve Schliecher showed Brodd video of Floyd crying out saying, “I can’t breathe”. Brodd was asked if it might be reasonable to assume Floyd couldn’t breathe considering three officers were sitting on him.

Brodd admitted it was “possible”, but went on to say that Floyd was still “struggling”.

Schleicher asked, “Struggling or writhing?”.

Brodd answered, “I don’t know the difference”. 

Brodd then said that rather than “moving around”, a compliant suspect would have been “resting comfortably.” 

“Did you say resting comfortably?” Schleicher asked, incredulously.

“Or laying comfortably,” Brodd replied.

Schleicher pressed, “So attempting to breathe while restrained is being slightly noncompliant?”. 

Brodd answered, “No”.

It’s difficult to say what impression Brodd’s testimony made on the jurors, but the response online has been ridicule and dismay. Some have commented that Brodd’s testimony is the best argument yet for police reform.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

All US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

President Biden will tell Americans later today that “it’s time to end America’s longest war”. The White House is expected to announce to day that the US will withdraw the last of its troops by Sept. 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. The Defense Department will coordinate the withdrawal with other NATO forces still in the country. 

Biden will likely relieve backlash from Republicans for this decision. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has already called it a “grave mistake”.

The Taliban has refused to engage in peace talks with the Afghan government until the last US troop is gone. This leaves an element of uncertainty as to what the country’s fate will be once the US withdraws.

Biden’s stance on this is one of the few that is consistent with his predecessor, Donald Trump. Trump had made considerable headway towards withdrawal before leaving office, even signing a peace deal with the Taliban. The initial withdrawal date set by Trump’s agreement was May 1. The Biden administration has extended the deadline somewhat, perhaps hoping to give the Afghan government and Taliban more time to settle their differences and come to a compromise. The State Department has been pushing Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani to form an interim government with Taliban representation, something Ghani has refused to consider.

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Japan to dump Fukushima water in ocean

Since a tsunami destroyed part of a reactor in Fukushima, Japan, nearly a decade ago, tons of waste water has flowed through the reactor each day to prevent a meltdown. Japan’s government has been struggling for years to decide what to do with the millions of tons of radioactive wastewater. There simply isn’t enough room to store it on land. The government recently considered two options: allowing the water to evaporate, or dumping it in the ocean.

The government announced this week that they have decided to release the water into the ocean. They will first dilute and treat the water until levels of radiation are consistent with accepted levels for drinking water. Nevertheless, Japan’s fishing industry are protesting the decision, as are China and South Korea.

However, the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are backing the plan, saying it is consistent with “globally accepted nuclear safety standards”.

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