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New DHS Disinfo Board documents reveal deep Big Tech collusion, contradict Mayorkas testimony: Sen. Hawley

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New DHS Disinfo Board documents reveal deep Big Tech collusion, contradict Mayorkas testimony: Sen. Hawley

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Wednesday revealed newly obtained paperwork that appeared to problem DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Might testimony on the controversial Disinformation Governance Board. 

In an open letter to Mayorkas, Hawley stated the brand new paperwork expose that the Board’s plans to associate with Massive Tech have been “way more in depth” than DHS or the Biden administration has beforehand acknowledged.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questions Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, former head of safety at Twitter, throughout Senate Judiciary Committee on knowledge safety at Twitter, on Capitol Hill, September 13, 2022, in Washington, DC. 
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photographs)

Hawley and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed paperwork obtained by a whistleblower earlier this 12 months detailing the scope of the Board. 

Hawley stated the brand new paperwork present that the Board’s Steering Group met on Feb. 4, 2022 – and have been assembly on a weekly foundation – regardless of Mayorkas’ testimony on Might 4, 2022, that “the board has not but met.” 

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DHS WARNS OF ‘HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT’ IN US AMID ‘POLITICAL TENSIONS’

The brand new paperwork additional reveal, Hawley stated, that Massive Tech was extra deeply concerned in censorship actions than beforehand thought. 

In line with Hawley, the brand new information present that the Disinformation Board deliberate to fulfill with Nathaniel Gleicher of Meta, who headed the corporate’s safety coverage in the course of the suppression of The New York Submit’s Hunter Biden laptop computer story. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 15, 2022. 

Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies earlier than a Home Homeland Safety Committee listening to on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 15, 2022. 
(REUTERS/Michael A. McCoy)

One other revelation from the brand new paperwork, Hawley stated, the Board’s short-lived Govt Director, Nina Jankowicz, pushed for DHS to determine an “analytic trade” with “business companions” – probably in order that Massive Tech firms might coordinate “speech suppression” with the federal government. 

“[Y]ou have continued your blatant try and keep away from transparency and sidestep congressional oversight,” Hawley wrote to Mayorkas. “The paperwork your turned over to my workplace, six months after I requested them, are so closely redacted most are illegible.” 

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SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN CASE CHALLENGING MAYORKAS DEPORTATION MEMO

Hawley requested that Mayorkas hand over all paperwork produced to Congress in addition to information conscious of his earlier oversight requests. Per his investigation into the Board, Hawley stated he will likely be releasing all the paperwork in his possession “so Individuals can choose for themselves [DHS’s] efforts to censor speech.” 

Fox Information Digital has reached out to DHS for remark. 

DHS canceled plans for the Board in August after it was placed on “pause” in Might. Mayorkas first introduced the creation of the Board throughout testimony in April earlier than the Home Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Safety. 

“The purpose is to carry the assets of (DHS) collectively to handle this risk,” Mayorkas stated in the course of the listening to, including that the division was meant to give attention to the unfold of disinformation in minority communities forward of the 2022 midterm elections.

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It was later reported that Nina Jankowicz, who beforehand served as a disinformation fellow on the Wilson Middle, would head the Board as govt director. Jankowicz resigned from her put up after lower than a month on the job amid the board’s dissolution. She just lately registered as a overseas agent.

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How the Senate Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

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How the Senate Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

The Senate on Tuesday passed the long-stalled $95.3 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, along with legislation that could lead to a ban on TikTok, clearing the measure and sending it to President Biden for his signature.

Answer Democrats Republicans Independents Total Bar chart of total votes
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0

Note: Three senators did not vote.

The overwhelming vote reflected broad bipartisan support for the measure, which passed the House on Saturday by wide margins after a tortured journey through Congress that was met with right-wing resistance.

The measure includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine; $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. It also would impose a new round of sanctions on Iran, and require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States.

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The measure had been stalled for months on Capitol Hill, where right-wing Republicans opposed to the aid for Ukraine pressured Speaker Mike Johnson not to allow it to be considered unless their demands for a severe border enforcement bill were met.

But when Republicans, egged on by former President Donald J. Trump, rejected linking it to a bipartisan border deal, the Senate passed the foreign assistance package on its own in February and pressured the House to do the same.

It took Mr. Johnson two additional months to figure out a way to steer around his right flank and do so. He used a convoluted maneuver in which the House cast separate votes to push through the pieces of the package and sent them to the Senate as one bill.

The TikTok provision was included as part of an effort to sweeten the deal for conservatives. Lawmakers have repeatedly cited the potential for Beijing to gain access to U.S. user data or to use the app for propaganda, including ahead of this year’s presidential election.

How Every Senator Voted

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Anti-Israel mob stages 'seder on the street’ near Schumer’s home in NYC

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Anti-Israel mob stages 'seder on the street’ near Schumer’s home in NYC

Anti-Israel agitators staged a “sedar on the street” protest in front of the Brooklyn home of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in protest of American support for Israel.

The protests came after the Senate passed a $95 billion emergency foreign aid package to Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.

Organized by pro-Palestinian groups, the protest was described as a “seder on the street” for the second night of the week-long Jewish Passover.

Photos from the protest showed large groups of demonstrators gathering in front of Schumer’s Brooklyn, New York home.

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The protesters urged Schumer to support an end to the U.S. providing weapons to Israel for its ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Following speeches from pro-Palestinian leaders, several people were arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request on how many protesters were arrested.

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The demonstrators at the Senate majority leader’s house came as New York City has faced an eruption of anti-Israel protests.

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Since Friday, hundreds of students and others have been arrested at Columbia, Yale, New York University and other schools.

More than 100 students were arrested at Columbia University last week, and the prestigious university has decided to cancel in-person classes in an attempt to defuse tensions.

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Supreme Court skeptical of siding with L.A. man denied visa over tattoos

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Supreme Court skeptical of siding with L.A. man denied visa over tattoos

For the record:

1:22 p.m. April 23, 2024In a previous version of this article, Luis Asencio Cordero’s surname was misspelled as Acensio Cordero.

Supreme Court justices sounded skeptical Tuesday about siding with a Los Angeles woman who claimed her constitutional rights were violated when the government denied a visa to her Salvadoran husband, in part over his tattoos.

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While some justices said they agreed that denial of a visa to a U.S. citizen’s spouse could in theory infringe on the citizen’s constitutionally protected interests, a majority suggested the government had fulfilled its legal responsibilities in this case.

Former resident Luis Asencio Cordero, who is from El Salvador, has been separated from his wife, L.A. civil rights attorney Sandra Muñoz, since 2015.

The couple sued, arguing the federal government had violated her rights to marriage and due process by failing to provide a timely explanation for denying his visa.

Initially, the government said it denied the visa due to concerns that Asencio Cordero would be likely to engage in unlawful activity if he were allowed back into the U.S.

Later, the couple learned through their lawsuit that the government believed he was an MS-13 gang member, based on his tattoos as well as an interview and background check.

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Asencio Cordero denies that his tattoos — which depict the comedy and tragedy theater masks, La Virgen de Guadalupe and a tribal design with a paw print — are affiliated with a gang. A court-approved gang expert concurred.

The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the couple.

Administration lawyers have argued that because Muñoz and Asencio Cordero could choose to live outside the U.S., her right to marriage has not been violated. The administration also argued that immigration officials have broad discretion when deciding whom to admit into the country.

Administration lawyers also said that requiring the government to disclose specific details about the evidence and intelligence used in such decisions would slow processing, pose a risk to public safety and could chill future information-sharing with foreign partners.

A long-established judicial doctrine prevents court reviews of visa determinations except in limited cases.

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Curtis Gannon, a Biden administration attorney, said Muñoz was affected “only indirectly” by the government’s actions.

“Muñoz cannot challenge the denial of her husband’s visa application any more than she could challenge a decision at the end of a removal proceeding that he will be removed from the United States, or at the end of a criminal trial that he would be sent to a prison far across the country,” Gannon told the justices.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited the long history of cases establishing the right to marriage. Assuming Muñoz is entitled to protection of that right, she said, the question is what kind of process is enough.

“Here you’re saying she’s entitled to nothing,” Sotomayor said to Gannon. “Why do we have to go that far?”

Sotomayor and fellow liberal Justice Elena Kagan suggested the government’s initial explanation for the denial was too vague.

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“How does a citation to unlawful activity tell anybody anything?” Sotomayor asked.

Other justices appeared to agree that the government had provided sufficient explanation as currently required under the law, and that State Department decisions on visas should not be second-guessed by judges.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., both conservatives, questioned what additional information or explanation should be required of the government if the case were to be sent back to lower courts for further review, as the couple is seeking.

“Why are we here?” Gorsuch asked. “I’m not sure what the cause of action here is.”

Conservative Justice Amy Cony Barrett said case law doesn’t require the government to explain more than it already has about the visa denial.

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“I guess I don’t see why Justice Gorsuch isn’t right, that this is just game over,” she said.

Kagan agreed, questioning why the case was ongoing given that the couple had already gotten what they’d sought: an explanation of the visa denial.

Eric Lee, Muñoz’s attorney, said the couple want to file a new visa application with evidence refuting the MS-13 membership allegation — with assurance that the federal government will review it.

A request for reconsideration is limited to one year after a visa denial. Because Asencio Cordero didn’t know why he had been denied, Lee argued, the couple missed the opportunity to prove the government wrong. Had they known the government believed he was an MS-13 member, the affidavit they later submitted by a gang expert could have been specifically tailored to explain why his tattoos weren’t consistent with the notorious gang.

“It doesn’t give us any guarantee, but that’s what due process requires,” Lee said.

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Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. suggested that Lee’s arguments on behalf of the couple appeared contrary to the federal government’s right to control who enters the U.S.

“How do you weigh the liberty interests that you are asserting against the government’s interest in denying visas to people who would present a danger when they get to the United States?” Alito asked.

“I don’t see how you can avoid the conclusion that that involves weighing what I, at least, see as totally disparate and perhaps unweighable interests,” Roberts added.

Lee replied that consular officers have heavy caseloads, “and what we’re asking for is for them to give us enough information to help them make a decision.”

If the court sides with Muñoz, other families could be entitled to some explanation when they are denied visas.

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But immigrant advocates worry the court’s conservative majority could instead strengthen consular officers’ broad powers.

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