The House Ethics Committee is extending its inquiry into the business dealings and allegations of misconduct against Representative George Santos after he was charged with 13 financial crimes, according to Representative David Joyce. Traditionally, the Ethics Committee has suspended investigations into lawmakers accused of federal crimes in case it interfered with the work of the DOJ. The committee has been investigating Santos since March and is looking into numerous claims about the freshman Congressman, including allegations of sexual misconduct while in office. Santos has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Republican Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene has criticised Democratic Rep Jamaal Bowman for confronting her at the US Capitol calling her a white supremacist. The incident came after Bowman and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heckled Republican Rep George Santos outside of the Capitol as he spoke to reporters. The House voted to refer the resolution to expel Mr Santos to the House Ethics Committee rather than to a House vote.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned that opposition from the ruling Coalition over proposed gas tax changes could force the Labor party to form an agreement with the Greens, pushing the smaller party towards a greater influence over the future of fossil fuels policy. Chalmers said Thursday that if the Coalition doesn't engage with energy policy and vacates the regulatory field, the Greens could assume greater power over decisions on legislation that impact industry. Oil and gas sector representatives have agreed to bring forward payments under the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), allowing for an additional AUD2.4bn ($1.8bn) in revenue over four years. The Greens argue that the changes are insufficient, which could encourage more funding in gas projects. Chalmers said that gas was vital to the economy and highlighted his interest in developing a "future gas strategy" that would encourage further investment in gas.
Representative Jamaal Bowman has accused Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of using violent rhetoric against Black men. After Bowman confronted Greene over a vote, the Georgia congresswoman accused the New Yorker of being aggressive. Bowman criticised this remark for perpetuating the stereotype of Black men. Greene has been accused of promoting a series of conspiracy theories including denying the result of the 2020 election. In the past, Democrats have ejected her from two committees over extremist comments she made and Republican leaders reinstated her following their victory in January.
House Republican leaders should have acted immediately to protect the voting system by voting to expel George Santos, the representative indicted for fraud, according to the New York Times. Santos deceived the voters who brought him to office, eroding trust in Congress and the electoral system, the newspaper argues. Rather than allowing a vote to remove Santos, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republican leaders pushed the issue to the House Ethics Committee, while they considered the potential loss of Santos's vote. An expediting and timely investigation and recommendation for expulsion instead of censure and concern would prove to the American people there are minimum ethical standards for Congress, the New York Times argues.
Charged Republican congressman, George Santos, who was accused of financial crimes, has taken on the role of treasurer for his own re-election campaign and affiliated committees. The move came after federal prosecutors charged the New York Democratic representative with 13 counts of financial wrongdoing. Santos has vowed to fight the charges and has insisted he will stand for re-election. His congressional colleagues have meanwhile referred a resolution to the House Ethics Committee to have him expelled. Santos has been accused of misusing funds and having discrepancies in financial filings, as well as other wrongdoing.
Selsey is being described as a "quirky" destination for travellers seeking a less tourist-heavy town on the Sussex coast. Located at the end of the Manhood Peninsula, Selsey retains an air of seclusion and features a unique community of converted railway carriages dating largely from the 1920s. Film star Vivien Leigh and astronomer Patrick Moore once lived there. Divers can explore wrecks including the Mulberry Harbour, and take guided walks on shore, while visitors can indulge in gourmet food. Selsey's espousal of the alternative artist and maker community also means that art works are occasionally displayed in shop windows, adding an extra twist to the high street experience.
Orlando City beat Inter Miami 3-1 in a Major League Soccer (MLS) game on 17 July, earning its first victory of the season when taking more shots than its opponent. Ercan Kara scored his fourth goal to give Orlando City the lead in the 19th minute, while Leonardo Campana scored for Miami in the 57th minute. Martín Ojeda then scored in the 68th minute before Orlando City took a two-goal lead in the 86th minute when Rafael Santos scored his first career goal. Inter Miami’s two-match winning streak at home ended after having won 14 of its last 20 games at home.
Various readers weigh in with their letters on issues such as book banning, the freedoms of speech and expression, and academic censorship in the US. Letters argue that allowing people to be exposed to different opinions and beliefs will not poison minds or be harmful to society. One letter claims that the burden of censorship should not be placed on parents who must opt in to allow their children to access restricted book titles, but instead should require parents objecting to age-appropriate subject matter to opt-out. Another adds that ‘forbidden fruit is always tempting’.
Brazilian footballer Vinícius Júnior has suffered repeated racist abuse on the pitch while playing for Real Madrid this season. This has sparked outrage in his hometown of Sao Goncalo, Brazil, with many people rallying to his defence. He has been the target of monkey chants and other slurs during at least nine matches, and has demanded action from Spanish soccer authorities. Racism in the Spanish league has intensified this season, particularly after Vinícius began celebrating his goals by dancing. The abuse levelled at him highlights that while Europe may be seen as more progressive than Brazil with respect to racial issues, it too has issues that need to be addressed. Vinícius’ own educational non-profit has now launched a program to train public school teachers in Brazil to raise awareness about racism and to instruct children in fighting discrimination. According to a teacher in Sao Goncalo, Vinícius’ experience has given some pupils a sense of unease about their own future.
DC United coach Wayne Rooney lamented a “strange” tie that saw the team held 2-2 by the visiting CF Montreal after conceding twice late in Wednesday’s MLS Eastern Conference fixture. Having played well and taking a lead at the end of the first half, the home side doubled its advantage in the second but failed to kill the game off. Ariel Lassiter and Sunusi Ibrahim then combined for two goals over two minutes, leaving Rooney to reflect that his team had controlled the game only to lose focus and be punished accordingly. Montreal’s Hernan Losada returned to Audi Field for the first time since taking charge of DC United, previously.
Indigenous leaders and activists are intensifying their efforts to protect the Amazon, a year after the brutal killing of Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. Six Indigenous territories have been officially recognised, while federal police, environmental special forces and army troops have been deployed to the Amazon in an attempt to tackle the threats to Indigenous communities and the environment. Since taking power in January, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sought to do more to protect the Amazon and Indigenous communities after four years of rising levels of deforestation and land invasions under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
Phillips, who had lived in Brazil for 15 years and was killed while reporting on the work of the Javari Valley Indigenous Monitoring Team, left behind an embryonic Indigenous patrol group, equipped with technology such as drones, GPS trackers and cameras, which combines their peerless knowledge of the rainforest to detect crimes. The group is fighting against poachers and fishing gangs from the north, drug traffickers from the west, goldminers from the east and cattle ranchers from the south.
In response to the threats to the region, 15 international news organisations, including The Guardian, have joined in a collaborative investigation into organised crime and resource extraction in the Brazilian Amazon as part of an initiative to continue the work of reporters who are threatened, censored or killed, coordinated by Paris-based non-profit Forbidden Stories. The project aims to honour Pereira and Phillips and to suggest ways to save the Amazon.
The Amazonian settlement of Ladario is home to a group of people with mixed African and Indigenous ancestries called caboclos, who live with color-ranking racism. In 2011, the federal government created the Lago de Sao Rafael Agroextractivist Project, which was supposed to provide electricity, rural lines of credit and technical assistance for managed fishing and acai-growing. However, none of this has ever materialized and the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, which manages the project, allocated just $5,100 for five families: in other words, the project received just $425 on average per year despite covering an area four times the size of Washington D.C. Caboclos rely on fishing to make a living, but even legal fishing has been made nearly impossible. The settlement has been thrust into the international spotlight in the last year due to the ambush and murder of expert, Bruno Pereira, and journalist Dom Phillips. The crime resulted in the disposal of Caboclo's confiscated fishing gear to prevent any participation in illegal fishing. Caboclo, who supports a family of 10 on $240 a month, was recently released from prison after being accused of illegal fishing and participation in an illegal fish organization.
Two children were playing with kittens when they were shot and killed in a backyard in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The gunman had targeted a 19-year old man, Joshua Lugo-Perez, who was also killed. Alex Torres Santos, 22, and a 16-year-old male have each been charged with three counts of criminal homicide, and police are seeking a third suspect. The shooting was the result of “a previous argument” and more details of the motive have not been disclosed. A 33-year-old neighbour was also wounded and is expected to recover.
Dallas Baptist's baseball team, the Patriots, eliminated No. 1 seed Oklahoma State from the Stillwater Regional with an 18-4 win. Miguel Santos led the way with three home runs and nine RBIs, while Kodie Kolden and Nathan Humphreys hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning. Dallas Baptist (46-15) moves on to face the loser between Washington and Oral Roberts in a loser-out game. Oklahoma State (41-20) ended its season on a three-game losing streak.
No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 13 Auburn have become the first two national basketball seeds to be knocked out of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. Dallas Baptist beat Oklahoma State 18-4, while Southern Mississippi knocked out Auburn 7-2, both teams failing to win a game as a regional host. Oklahoma had played in 18 tournaments previously, and this year marked the first time the team went two games and out. Oxford-based Ole Miss beat Florida State 12-2, setting a NCAA-record 20 home runs in its first six tournament games.
Hogan’s 2-run HR helps Oral Roberts win 21st straight, clinch super regional berth
The Toronto Star
23-06-05 04:29
Oral Roberts has won the Stillwater Regional by coming back to beat Dallas Baptist 6-5. ORU's Matt Hogan hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to give his team the lead for good. Oral Roberts holds the nation's longest win streak of 21 consecutive games, winning their last twelve games in the Summit League after winning their final nine regular-season games. The Golden Eagles were beaten by North Dakota State in the Summit League Championship Series last year, with the league tournament cancelled this year due to COVID-19. Jonah Cox extended his hitting streak to 44 consecutive games and will test this streak against a tougher opponent in the super regional. Oral Roberts is one of eight number four seeds in history to win a regional and has only made a super regional appearance once before, in 2006.
Australia's major exporters of energy are losing revenue as a result of reduced demand and healthy stockpiles. Prices for one-off deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have been falling rapidly, reaching average prices beneath $11 per million British thermal units. This has led Woodside and Santos, the country's gas giants, to report quarterly falls of 16% and 13% respectively in their revenue after a record-year in 2022. While low prices have meant EnergyQuest's first-quarter LNG revenue was down 20% from $27.6bn in Q4 2022, it was still up 21% from Q1 2022 at $22.6bn.
Republican lawmaker Rep. George Santos has asked a judge to keep the names of the people who cosigned his $500,000 bond in his criminal fraud case sealed. Two media organisations have requested that the names be unsealed, arguing that a public right to access exists. Santos’s lawyer, Joseph Murray, has cited a “media frenzy” surrounding the case and said his client would rather be detained ahead of his trial than allow the bail sponsors’ names to become public. Santos was indicted on 13 federal criminal charges last month, including counts of wire fraud and money laundering.
Indicted US congressman George Santos will risk going to jail to protect the identities of the people who co-signed his $500,000 bond for pre-trial release, according to his lawyer. Santos has urged a judge to help keep their names from being revealed to the public, despite requests by media outlets. His lawyer, Joseph Murray, has argued that the individuals could "suffer great distress", including possible job losses and physical harm if their privacy is not maintained. Santos pleaded not guilty last month to charges of fraud, theft from his campaign, lying to Congress and improperly claiming unemployment benefits. If convicted, he could be sentenced to decades in prison.
