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Officer says he accepted apology from Jan. 6 witness who stormed Capitol

U.S. Capitol Police Staff Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said that he accepted the apology rendered by Capitol riot defendant Stephen Ayres.

In an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” on Wednesday, Gonell told host John Berman that Ayres “basically apologized and said he was sorry and I accepted his apology.”

He added that he is not a “vindictive” person and that he believed Ayres “somehow still had to answer to the judge criminally” as well as “to his maker” for his actions on the day of the insurrection.

However, Gonell added that he believes that Ayres’s apology should have been directed first at Erin Smith, the widow of Jeffrey Smith, a Washington, D.C., police officer who died by suicide after responding to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

He added that Smith was sitting next to him but Ayres “didn’t bother to stop.”

According to Gonell, Smith’s husband lost his life not because of what Ayres did, but because of what he was a part of.

He added that it wasn’t up to him to decide if Ayres apologized for optics or a photo opportunity or because he was looking for “leniency from a judge.”

“I’ll take it for what it is,” he added.

Ayres, who testified before the Jan. 6 select committee on Tuesday, apologized to a group of police officers who defended the Capitol during the riot following the panel’s presentation.

He approached Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges and Gonell.

However, Fanone told reporters after the exchange: “No apology necessary,” according to Politico.

He said the apology “doesn’t really do shit for me.”

It was revealed by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) during Tuesday’s hearing that Gonell was told by his doctors that the permanent injuries he has suffered to his left shoulder and right foot now make it impossible for him to continue as a police officer.

Gonell said he is now planning his retirement after sustaining injuries during the Jan. 6 riot.

He shared that he just passed his lieutenant’s test and “instead of planning a celebration… I am now planning my retirement and the rest of my life with these injuries.”

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Preview: Biden’s trip to the Middle East

President Biden is on his first trip as president to the Middle East, where he will visit Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Biden will hold a controversial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been widely blamed for the 2018 murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden once said he would make Saudi leadership a “pariah” internationally after Khashoggi was killed and dismembered, but the president is now seeking to improve ties with Riyadh.

The president is dealing with high gas prices in the United States, and while the administration has downplayed the significance of oil prices in the context of the visit, it’s expected that Biden will press the Saudi leadership to take steps to lower prices. Prices have skyrocketed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Before Saudi Arabia, Biden will be in Israel for a visit focused on Iran and on Israel’s relationship with the Palestinian people. He is expected to stress that Iran, not the U.S., will be isolated internationally until it returns to the nuclear deal.

Watch the video above for more.

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Biden betrays Khashoggi, campaign promises in quest for Saudi oil

“[Jamal] Khashoggi was, in fact, murdered and dismembered, and I believe on the order of the crown prince. And I would make it very clear we were not going to, in fact, sell more weapons to them, we were going to, in fact, make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the pariah that they are. There’s very little social redeeming value of the — in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”

That was then-candidate Joe Biden during a 2020 presidential debate. But after capturing the Oval Office, President Biden went ahead with a $650 million sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia in December 2021.

Now Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the very man Biden said ordered the murder Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Turkey.

Last week, the Washington Post, where Khashoggi was a columnist before his death, published an op-ed by Biden in which the president claimed his goal has always been to “reorient – but not rupture – relations” with Saudi Arabia. So much for treating Saudi Arabia as a pariah.

The Post also published an op-ed by Hatice Cengiz, to whom Khashoggi was engaged before his murder. Cengiz expresses her shock and disappointment over Biden’s meeting with her ex-fiancé’s killer and suggests Biden is overlooking Saudi Arabia’s “horrific human rights abuses” to reduce oil prices.

And that’s exactly what this trip is about. Biden wants the Saudis to produce more oil to bring down record-high gas prices.

Biden had options other than kowtowing to a murderous dictator. But he’s done several things domestically that have contributed to sky-high prices. He has cancelled the expansion of the Keystone pipeline, prohibited drilling in the oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife refuge in Alaska and cancelled oil leases to drill off the Gulf and Alaskan coasts. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has prioritized transitioning to green energy.

Unsurprisingly, Biden has downplayed the role oil is playing in his trip, mentioning it only once in his Washington Post op-ed.

The Biden administration is clearly on the defensive when it comes to energy and gas prices. The president has bounced between blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine (which occurred well after gas prices began to soar), to pointing the finger at oil companies, which Biden says are motivated by “greed,” to condemning “mom and pop” gas stations by alleging they’re fleecing customers for profit. None of it is resonating. 

A devastating New York Times poll released on Sunday puts the president’s approval at 33 percent nationally, easily the lowest of any first-term president. Worse, 64 percent of Democrats (yes, Democrats) say they don’t want Biden to run for president again in 2024. And a stunning 94 percent of Democrats under 30 years would prefer a different presidential nominee.

Biden no doubt believes that by going to Saudi Arabia on bended knee, he can alleviate some of the pain Americans are feeling at the pump. But by doing so, he will only aggravate the pain felt by Hatice Cengiz and all those horrified by Khashoggi’s unjust killing.

Joe Concha is a media and politics columnist.

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Manchin: Inflation ‘now poses a clear and present danger to our economy’

Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday sounded the alarm after the latest inflation report showed a 9.1 percent jump in prices over the past year, saying that the skyrocketing costs “now poses a clear and present danger to our economy.”

The troubling inflation report and Manchin’s concern over steadily rising prices is a bad sign for the budget reconciliation package that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is trying to negotiate with the West Virginia senator.

Manchin has repeatedly pointed to inflation as a reason not to move forward on a budget reconciliation bill that would provide hundreds of billions of dollars for new government programs and initiatives.  

Manchin on Wednesday said his concerns about rising prices, which Democrats were slow to take seriously, were well-founded.

“For more than a year, leaders in Washington have ignored the serious concerns raised by myself and others about the rising cost of inflation,” he said in a statement. 

“No matter what spending aspirations some in Congress may have, it is clear to anyone who visits a grocery store or a gas station that we cannot add any more fuel to this inflation fire,” he added, in a pointed message to fellow Democrats who want to add money to reduce health insurance premiums and raise the cap on state and local tax deductions.  

Manchin and Schumer have agreed to a package of prescription drug pricing reforms that would raise revenue for the federal government as well as a 3.8 percent tax on income earned by wealthy individuals and families from pass-through businesses. The latter would raise more than $200 billion in revenue that would be used to extend the solvency of Medicare’s hospital trust fund.   

But other initiatives, such as tax credits for electric vehicles, money to subsidize the cost of Affordable Care Act insurance plans and funding for renewable energy programs, now face greater headwinds because of Manchin’s reluctance to pump more money into the U.S. economy.  

“Today’s inflation data illustrates the pain families across the country are feeling as costs continue to rise at a historic rate. 9.1 percent is cause for serious concern,” he said.  

“Items like chicken, eggs and lunchmeat have increased to new highs, while energy costs rose more than 40 percent in June with those that can least afford it suffering the most. It is past time we put our country first and end this inflation crisis,” he urged colleagues.

Source: TEST FEED1

Monkeypox vaccine appointment website crashes in New York City

New York City’s monkeypox vaccine appointment website crashed on Tuesday “due to overwhelming traffic,” the city announced as the nation sees an uptick in cases.

“All available monkeypox vaccine appointment slots have been booked. Due to overwhelming traffic, as soon as appointments went online this afternoon, the site delivered error messages for many people who were unable to make appointments,” the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

The city said that it would alert residents when more appointments could be scheduled and noted that the technicality difficulties experienced on their website “is just further proof that demand is very high.”

“We apologize for the frustration caused and are working to build stable appointment infrastructure as we roll out more appointments as vaccine supply increases in the coming weeks. We look forward to receiving more doses in the near future to provide to New Yorkers,” the department said in a separate tweet.

On the city department’s website page on monkeypox, it notes that there are no appointments available for those who want a vaccine, adding they expect later this week that more slots to sign up should be available.

“Vaccine supply remains low. NYC is receiving a limited number of doses from the federal government, and we are making them available to New Yorkers as quickly as possible,” it reads under the “vaccination” section. 

Monkeypox, though rarely fatal, has milder symptoms compared to smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can be transmitted during sex or while kissing or when there’s direct contact with body fluids, scabs or rash, among other ways. 

CDC data as of Tuesday afternoon shows that there are 929 monkeypox cases nationwide.

New York City and Washington, D.C., have been offering the two-dose Jynneos smallpox vaccine to bisexual and gay men, gender non-conforming people and transgender women, among others. But both cities saw their vaccine supplies quickly max out the same day they started offering appointments. 

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Warnock rakes in more than $17.2 million in Q2 fundraising, outpacing Walker’s haul

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) raked in more than $17.2 million in the second quarter of fundraising for this year, more than doubling what Republican challenger Herschel Walker reported.

Walker reported that he had raised close to $6.2 million between April and June, according to Axios.

Warnock’s campaign said that that average campaign donation they received for this latest quarter was $37, and that they had received donations from more than 258,000 individuals in total. The Georgia Democrat ends the second quarter with $22.2 million cash on hand.

“This haul and the tens of thousands of grassroots donors lining up to support this campaign in record numbers are just the latest sign that Georgians see Reverend Warnock working on their behalf in the U.S. Senate and they are ready to help propel our campaign to victory.,” Warnock’s campaign manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement. 

“They know Herschel Walker has spent his campaign misleading the people of Georgia about his record and making bizarre and false claims. While he keeps showing the people of Georgia he isn’t ready to represent them, we’ll keep working hard to show the people of Georgia that Reverend Warnock is fighting for them and they have a clear choice this November.”

Warnock’s seat is considered one of the most competitive Senate seats up in November and a test of former President Trump’s influence given that he has endorsed the former football star.

Walker made headlines last month after The Daily Beast reported that he had three other children who were previously unknown to the public, including two sons and an adult daughter. The Republican candidate has previously been an outspoken critic of absentee fathers.

“If you have a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman, even if you have to leave that woman, you don’t leave the child,” Walker said in a 2021 interview with social media personalities Diamond and Silk. “You let that child know you trying to work it out. You’re going to be respectful to her.”

The Hill has reached out to Walker’s campaign for comment. 

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Rampant inflation is a chance to retake power from the Fed

Pound for pound, President Biden has raised taxes for middle-class Americans more than any president in recent decades. The rates largely have stayed the same, but between deficit spending and policy at the Federal Reserve, Washington has created a massive hidden tax through rampant inflation. The high prices you find at the supermarket, gas station and online in large part can be attributed to the accumulation of the Federal Reserve’s power and influence. Since 2008, the Fed has grown to the power of a new branch of government — one that is both unelected and poorly managed. Reckless monetary policy has given us the worst inflation in 40 years, and likely a looming recession.            

The Federal Reserve has accumulated immense powers since its inception in 1913. A response to economic panics, the national bank could allow for a chance to stabilize interest rates and provide assets for banks. However, the Fed’s failures in 1929, the 1970s, 2008 and 2022 show why our third national bank should go the way of the first two. Instead, following every major monetary failure since the Great Depression, the Fed has only grown in size and importance. 

The Fed offers a convenient avenue for politicians. Its massive overprinting of funds and acquisition of assets enables the worst in our modern fiscal policy by allowing deficit spending on massive levels. Politicians in both parties have utilized the Fed in a way it was not intended: as a fourth branch of government that could circumvent normal budgetary processes and offer quick, seemingly painless solutions. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the overall money supply circulating through the economy has increased by 40 percent. During the same time period, the overall dollars increased from just under $15.5 trillion to about $22 trillion, while the total assets held by the Fed more than doubled from $4.2 trillion to more than $9 trillion. This is 10 times the pre-2008 level of holdings and more than quadruple the level during the start of the Great Recession. Meanwhile, Congress operated with a massive $3.1 trillion budget deficit in 2021. All these factors, notwithstanding supply chain and international factors, drove up inflation to near Carter administration-level heights. 

The asset purchases of the past two and a half years betray the original purpose of the country’s central bank. Rather than allowing for the printing of physical dollars (which is risky enough) and the setting of interest rates, the Fed is a behemoth that holds assets valued at nearly half the national economy. It doesn’t have a budget set by Congress and makes decisions formally separate from our elected leaders. This quasi-governmental role allows it to act as a tool for politicians to expand government, via deficit spending with printed dollars, while sidestepping traditional processes. Congress didn’t approve the major stimulus of purchasing bonds and other assets by the central bank but happily spent from the money it created. For years this system has allowed for massive federal spending binges and borrowing “in house,” while even offering a small surplus returned to the federal budget. 

Since 2020, the Fed sought to avert a depression but instead may have given us the “perfect storm” to enter in one. To prevent worsening inflation and teetering economic numbers, there is a desperate need for drastic reform. The current moment is an opportunity to solve one of the key drivers of global economic decline. While the political odds of completely repealing the 1913 Federal Reserve Act is effectively zero, a GOP-led White House and Congress could craft significant oversights over the institution. The last time the topic of auditing the Fed was broached in a public poll, more than 80 percent of Americans backed the idea. Other reforms should be implemented to avoid future abuses of the Fed, including limiting asset purchases or holding the current Federal Reserve Governors accountable during their affixed terms.

Biden is not the person to fix the Fed’s broken policies. The president has utilized the central bank as a means to bankroll massive spending, creating a situation where too many dollars are chasing too few goods. Putting an end to inflation will take a strong leader who is willing to cut spending drastically, and to put an end to massive deficit spending, printing and borrowing. A constitutionally-minded president should prioritize limits on the Fed’s power through aggressive means before it consumes us all.

To be sure, ending inflation today will be just as difficult as it was in 1981. But temporary economic harm may be necessary to reset the economy back into working order. However, the ability to do so will be just as simple as it was then; stopping the massive overprinting of money and purchasing of assets can be done with a push of a button — literally. Politicians believed that the cold, hard laws of economics could be defied via the Federal Reserve. As it turns out, putting off hard decisions and offering easy answers has only made the problem worse. 

Given the track record of politicians from both parties, the likelihood of reforming the Fed before our economic woes get significantly worse is not great. However, just as France found out in 1788-1789, such a broken banking system and public debt is unsustainable. And unless someone stops the game of musical chairs, when the song stops, it will make 2008 look like child’s play.

Don’t say no one warned you.

Kristin Tate is a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Voice and a libertarian writer. Her latest book is “How Do I Tax Thee? A Field Guide to the Great American Rip-Off.” Follow her on Twitter @KristinBTate.

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Most young women say state abortion laws would influence where they live: poll

Abortion has taken center stage in the U.S. as Americans react to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion and a new poll reveals most young people felt mad or upset at the decision. 

The court in June overturned Roe v. Wade’s nearly 50-year precedent, leaving abortion access to states to decide. In wake of the decision, reactions poured in from average citizens, lawmakers, health professionals and more. 

A new poll conducted by Generation Lab and Axios found that 50 percent of young people felt upset after the ruling came out. Forty-one percent felt mad, and 32 percent felt hopeless. 

The poll asked hundreds of young people aged 18 to 29 how they reacted to the court’s decision and how they might behave have now that abortion access is no longer a federally protected right.  

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White respondents were more likely to be mad than Black or Asian respondents, at 46 percent compared to 25 percent and 30 percent, respectively.  

Nearly half of women checked their state’s abortion law since the ruling, at 44 percent. Only 5 percent tried to buy Plan-B, over the counter emergency contraception.  

When thinking about where they might live, two in three respondents will consider a state’s abortion law, the poll found. Thirty-one percent said they would consider it “a lot” while 27 percent indicated it would “somewhat” influence their decision. 

Twenty-five percent said a state’s abortion law would “not at all” influence their decision to live there. 

More than a dozen states had abortion trigger laws in place—which took effect immediately or with quick state action following the fall of Roe—banning or severely restricting abortion access. 

More than half of all female respondents indicated they would alter their sex or birth control behaviors if their state bans abortion. Thirty-seven percent said their use of birth control medication would change while 32 percent said they would change how frequently they have sex.  

Twenty-nine percent said they would alter how they chose sexual partners and their condom use. 

Fewer men reported they would plan to change their habits, with 48 percent saying they would not alter any behaviors if the state they live in bans abortions—but 38 percent said they would alter condom use. 

Twenty-four percent of men even said they were very likely to take FDA-approved oral or injectable contraceptives for men. 

A separate poll by the Pew Research Center found similar sentiments among U.S. adults, with 57 percent of respondents saying they disapproved of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

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State lawmakers testify before House panel on impact of Roe v. Wade reversal

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday will receive testimony from state legislators and legal experts on the effect the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The panel will describe the impact in states with abortion restrictions or bans.

Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Watch the live video above.

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