SCOTUS Justice Alito under scrutiny for GOP donor-funded resort vacation – National & International News – WED 21Jun2023

SCOTUS Justice Alito under scrutiny for GOP donor-funded resort vacation.

Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira pleads ‘not guilty’ to federal charges.

Killer whales attacking boats in Spain, and now in Scotland.

NATIONAL NEWS

SCOTUS Justice Alito under fire for GOP donor-funded resort vacation

Independent news organization ProPublica has revealed that in 2008, Justice Alito flew to a remote island in Alaska on a private plane belonging to Paul Singer, a wealthy GOP donor. If Alito had paid for the flight himself, it would have $100,000 one way. On the island, Alito was treated to a fishing trip at a luxury resort, courtesy of Singer and another wealthy Republican donor. Alito did not declare this generous gift on his mandatory financial statement.

Since 2008, a hedge fund founded by Singer has had roughly a dozen cases before the court, and Alito did not recuse himself from any of them. In one of those cases, Alito joined the majority in deciding a case in the hedge fund’s favor. The hedge fund ultimately received $2.4 billion resulting from that decision.

Alito is only the latest conservative Supreme Court Justice to find himself in ethical hot water. ProPublica previously published several lengthy articles detailing millions of dollars in lavish travel gifts that Justice Clarence Thomas has received from Harlan Crow, another billionaire Republican donor. Crow also purchased a large amount of real estate from Thomas in Georgia, including the home where Thomas’ mother still resides. It does not appear that Thomas’ mother has paid Crow any rent. Like Alito, Thomas never disclosed any of these gifts or transactions on his financial statements.

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Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira pleads ‘not guilty’ to federal charges

Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, 21, pleaded “not guilty” to six charges of unlawfully retaining and disseminating classified information. Teixeira has been in custody since his arrest in April. He is accused of posting highly classified Pentagon documents relating to the war in Ukraine and other sensitive matters in US foreign relations on a Discord server.

Since his arrest, it’s come to light that Teixeira’s superiors had previously cautioned him improperly accessing classified material that was not directly related to his duties. Despite this, Teixeira retained his ability to access the documents. The Justice Department also revealed that Teixeira had a history of making disturbing statements online. For example, he fantasized about “culling the weak minded” by killing a “ton of people”.

Each of the six charges against Teixeira carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Killer whales attacking boats in Spain, and now in Scotland

On Monday, an orca attacked a small yacht sailing near the Shetland Islands, which lie in the North Sea between Scotland and Norway. Such attacks have made headlines in recent weeks, but mostly off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. However, this is the first such attack known in the North Sea. It’s possible that the behavior is being passed on from one regional community of orcas to another.

Over the last few years, there have been hundreds of reports of orcas, also known as killer whales, attacking small boats, including fishing boats and small yachts. Several dozen such attacks have been reported just this year off the southern coast of Spain. In several instances, the whales have managed to disable or even sink boats by repeatedly ramming them or damaging the rudder.

Scientists aren’t sure why this is happening or why attacks are on the rise. One theory is that the young whales are learning this behavior from the older females, who usually lead the pods. It may be that they are playing or practicing hunting techniques. Another theory suggests that the whales are taking revenge for past trauma from boats.

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