Good morning. It's Tuesday, Dec. 12, and we're covering disciplinary action against US Air Force personnel, a former New York mayor's defamation trial, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.
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The US Air Force announced disciplinary measures against 15 personnel yesterday, spanning ranks from staff sergeant to colonel, due to their failure to address questionable intelligence-related activities by accused leaker Jack Teixeira.
Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, is accused of leaking a wide range of highly classified military secrets to other Discord users—a gamer communication app—in the largest intelligence leak in years. He pleaded not guilty to willful retention and transmission of classified information in federal court in June. See background on the case here.
The report showed a lack of oversight by officials at Teixeira's base and found the individuals intentionally failed to report documented concerns about Teixeira's behavior before the leaks, allegedly allowing him to gather and share the information without detection. The report also showed his immediate superiors were unaware of his online distribution of the classified intelligence. The disciplinary actions range from relieving personnel from their positions, including command positions, to minor penalties. |
Giuliani Defamation Trial |
A federal civil trial began yesterday in Washington, DC, to determine punitive damages former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) must pay two election workers for defamation. Eight jurors were selected for the four-day trial, which could require Giuliani to pay up to $43M to the two women.
The lawsuit alleged Giuliani—as attorney for former President Donald Trump—falsely claimed Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss committed ballot fraud, citing surveillance video showing the two moving cases of ballots into an election center. The claims—debunked by Georgia election officials—led to threats of violence against the two, eventually forcing them to relocate temporarily (read details). A US district judge ruled in August that Giuliani was liable for defamation, ordering him to pay $230K in legal fees to the pair. Giuliani maintained yesterday Freeman and Moss had changed votes.
In related news, special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court yesterday to quickly decide whether Trump—who leads Republicans by a margin of 40% in presidential polls—can claim presidential immunity in a separate federal election interference case. Track Trump's four criminal cases here. |
Navalny Whereabouts Unknown |
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who has been serving time in a penal colony east of Moscow on an array of charges, is reportedly missing. The 47-year-old was due to appear via video for a court hearing yesterday but failed to show up. His attorneys said they have been unable to get in touch with him for six days, while two penal colonies where Navalny was believed to be claimed he was not listed as an inmate.
Navalny, who has been in prison since January 2021 (see overview), was scheduled to transfer to a higher-security penal colony after being sentenced in August to 19 years in prison on extremism charges. He had already been serving a nearly 12-year prison term for other charges, including fraud. Navalny's disappearance comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin begins his presidential campaign for a fifth term.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, DC, yesterday to meet with President Joe Biden and leaders from Congress this week as he appeals for more aid. US lawmakers remain at an impasse over a multibillion-dollar national security spending package, which includes roughly $60B in aid for Ukraine. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
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> Report claims Israel used US-supplied white phosphorus munitions in an October attack in southern Lebanon that injured at least nine civilians (More) | What is white phosphorous? (More) | Roughly 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war, UN says; see more war updates (More) |
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> The Power of Rituals
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New Statesman | Stuart McGurk. How one detective confronted a global network of romance scammers, tackling a rising trend of online fraud where a connection is made for the purpose of financial extraction. (Read) |
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