Month: October 2024

In a video posted to social media, Melania Trump confirm a report from The Guardian stating that she voices support for abortion rights in her new memoir, “Melania,” set to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 8th (preorder: HERE).

The video from Mrs. Trump comes shortly before the November election, with former President Donald Trump failing to reveal his position on abortion rights consistently. Vice President Kamala Harris said during her debate against Trump last month that the former President would pass a national abortion ban; however, earlier this week Trump said he would veto a national abortion ban. Trump has insisted that states having the right to determine abortion laws is “where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint.”

Melania Trump says in the video posted to her X account : “Individual freedom is a principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth. Individual freedom — what does my body, my choice really mean?”

According to the Guardian report (which obtained a copy of Melania’s memoir), the former first lady writes that “it is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government. Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”

According to the Guardian, Mrs. Trump also writes that there are “legitimate reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion”(including rape or incest, the mother’s life being at risk, congenital birth defects and severe medical conditions). She noted that “many women opt for abortions due to personal medical concerns. These situations with significant moral implications weigh heavily on the woman and her family and deserve our empathy. Consider, for example, the complexity inherent in the decision of whether the mother should risk her own life to give birth.”

Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement: “Sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband firmly disagrees with her and is the reason that more than one in three American women live under a Trump abortion ban that threatens their health, their freedom, and their lives. Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear: If he wins in November, he will ban abortion nationwide, punish women, and restrict women’s access to reproductive health care.”

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Microsoft and U.S. authorities said on Thursday that a hacking group tied to Russian intelligence attempted to hack into the systems of dozens of Western think tanks, journalists and former military and intelligence officials. Targets included former U.S. intelligence employees, former and current Department of Defense personnel, Department of State employees, Department of Energy staff, U.S. military contractors and U.S.-based companies.

The Department of Justice revealed that authorities have seized 41 internet domains used by Russian intelligence agents and their proxies, and coordinated the takedowns with tech giant Microsoft, which seized an additional 66 unique domains operated by the same group.  The domains were intended to steal valuable information from U.S. government computers and email accounts.

In an unsealed warrant, the DOJ accused the “Callisto Group,” a unit under Russia’s FSB security service, of orchestrating an “ongoing and sophisticated spear phishing campaign” aimed at gaining unauthorized access to the computers and email accounts of victims. The group, known as Star Blizzard to cyberespionage experts, targeted its victims with emails that appeared to come from a trusted source — a tactic known as spear phishing. The Callisto Group has been actively launching cyberattacks since at least 2017 and had recently targeted nonprofits, think tanks and officials who have “provid[ed] support to Ukraine and in NATO countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as in the Baltics, Nordics, and Eastern Europe.”

According to a blog post published by Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit on Thursday, Microsoft observed the nation state cybercriminals target “over 30 civil society organizations (journalists, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) core to ensuring democracy can thrive) by deploying spear-phishing campaigns to exfiltrate sensitive information and interfere in their activities’ between January 2023 and August 2024.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement: “The Russian government ran this scheme to steal Americans’ sensitive information, using seemingly legitimate email accounts to trick victims into revealing account credentials. With the continued support of our private sector partners, we will be relentless in exposing Russian actors and cybercriminals and depriving them of the tools of their illicit trade.”

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In separate visits to Georgia and the Carolinas, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Southeast region of the U.S. on Wednesday to survey damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, which is confirmed to have killed 177 people thus far. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for following Helene’s destruction, with more than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The president said Tuesday that the cost of the massive storm could stretch into the billions of dollars: ‘We have to jump start this recovery process. This is urgent.’  Biden visited North Carolina taking an aerial tour of some of the hardest-hit parts of the state; while nearly 200 miles to the south in Georgia, Harris was in Augusta to survey Helene’s damage.  Harris shared: ″I’ve been reading and hearing about the work you’ve been doing over the last few days, and I think it really does represent some of the best of what we each know can be done. Especially when we coordinate around local, state, federal resources to meet the needs of people who must be seen, who must be heard. I am now listening.”

Before departing the White House, Biden announced he had directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to support the North Carolina National Guard. Biden said in a statement: “These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina — they have the manpower and logistical capabilities to get this vital job done, and fast. They will join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members deployed under State authorities in support of the response.”

Wednesday’s visits by Biden and Harris come shortly after former President Donald Trump traveled to devastated Valdosta, Georgia, to see Helene’s destruction firsthand.

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A San Diego doctor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry.

Mark Chavez, 54, appeared in court before Judge Jean Rosenbluth in Los Angeles and pleaded to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. Despite the plea deal, Chavez, who was part of a group federally charged in Perry’s death in August, faces up to 10 years in prison upon his sentencing, which will take place on April 2, 2025.

Chavez, who had operated a ketamine clinic, sold ketamine lozenges to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, who then distributed them to Perry. Plasencia, a Santa Monica-based physician known as “Dr. P,” has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Perry was found dead in his jacuzzi at his home in Pacific Palisades, California nearly a year ago this month.

The other individuals charged in connection with Perry’s death include the actor’s live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, and Erik Fleming, 54, a friend of Perry’s who authorities described as a “street dealer.” Both have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Also charged is Jasveen Sangha, 41, an alleged drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” who has pleaded not guilty.

In his initial appearance in September, Chavez surrendered his medical license and agreed not to practice medicine. remaining free on a $50,000 bond.

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