Arrest Warrants for Texas Dems Signed
According to reports, Dade Phelan, the Texas House Speaker, has signed civil arrest warrants for several House Democrats who fled the state in order to prevent the passage of election legislation. After Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to have the lawmakers detained when they returned to Texas, a judge granted the Democrats a restraining order that would have prevented him from carrying out his threat. On August 9, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the legislators could still be detained. The warrants "will be delivered to the House Sergeant-at-Arms tomorrow morning for service," said a spokesperson for Phelan on August 10.
Wyoming GOP Groups to Liz Cheney: You’re Out
“Republicans in two Wyoming counties have voted to rescind recognition of Rep. Liz Cheney [R-WY] as a member of their party,” The Casper Star-Tribune reports. “The Republican parties for Park and Carbon counties both unanimously voted in support of the move, which is symbolic and representative of... continued frustration with the congresswoman following her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump,” the paper states. “You will no longer be recognized as the official Republican Congressional Representative by the Park County Republican Party,” Martin Kimmet, the chairman of the Park County Republicans, wrote in [an Aug. 5] letter to Cheney.”
Dominion Voting Systems Sues OANN, Newsmax Over Election Fraud Claims
Dominion Voting Systems, the vote-machine company at the center of fraud allegations made by Trump supporters regarding the 2020 presidential election, has filed lawsuits against Newsmax, One America News Network and ex-Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. “Dominion accused the two networks of defaming the company and its products by airing false reports that its machines switched votes from President Donald Trump to [Democratic opponent Joe] Biden,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “The company also said Mr. Byrne repeatedly and falsely alleged that Dominion rigged vote tallies to steal the 2020 presidential election for Mr. Biden. In each of the three lawsuits, Dominion is seeking more than $1.6 billion in damages, citing lost profit and other costs,” the paper writes. “Newsmax helped create and cultivate an alternate reality where up is down, pigs have wings, and Dominion engaged in a colossal fraud to steal the presidency from Donald Trump by rigging the vote,” the suit against Newsmax reads, The Journal reported.
Citi Is Latest Wall Street Powerhouse to Mandate Coronavirus Vaccine For Employees
“Citigroup Inc. will require workers returning to its offices in New York City and elsewhere to be vaccinated” for the coronavirus, Fox Business Network reports. “The firm joins Morgan Stanley in being the only two Wall Street banks to require workers to be inoculated,” the network noted. “Starting September 13, all colleagues at our NYC HQ and other offices in the Tri-State area, as well as Chicago, Boston, D.C. and Philadelphia, will be expected to return at least two days a week and vaccination is required," Sara Wechter, head of human resources at Citigroup, declared in a LinkedIn post.
Arizona Democrat State Senator Resigns After Child Sex Abuse Arrest
“After days of countless pleas for him to step down in the wake of an arrest on allegations of child sexual abuse, Otoniel ‘Tony’ Navarrete resigned his state Senate seat Tuesday afternoon but issued a separate statement vowing to fight and prove his innocence,” The Arizona Republic reports. “Effective immediately, I am officially resigning my post as Arizona State Senator for District 30,” Navarrete wrote in a brief statement. In a separate statement, Navarrete proclaimed he was not guilty of the charges made against him. “I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence," he vowed.
Trudeau Expresses Outrage at Canadian Business Exec’s 11-Year Prison Sentence in China
“Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a Chinese court's sentencing of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage on Wednesday was ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and called for his immediate release,” Reuters reports. “The espionage cases are embroiled in a wider diplomatic spat involving Washington and Beijing, and Spavor's sentencing comes as lawyers in Canada representing the chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei make a final push to convince a court not to extradite her to the United States,” the wire service writes. “China's conviction and sentencing of Michael Spavor is absolutely unacceptable and unjust," Trudeau said in a statement. "The verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law.”
Afghan Officials Say Three More Provincial Capitals Have Been Taken By Taliban
“The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, putting nine of the nation’s 34 in the insurgents’ hands amid the U.S. withdrawal from the country,” the Associated Press reports. “The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government to stem the tide of the advance,” the wire service stated. “While Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, the Taliban offensive continues to stretch Afghan security forces now largely fighting against the insurgents on their own.”
