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Suspected drones over Taiwan, cyber attacks after Pelosi visit

Suspected drones over Taiwan, cyber attacks after Pelosi visit

  • Suspected drones fly over outlying Taiwanese islands
  • Defense ministry says its website attacked, briefly offline
  • Chinese military exercises, involving live-fire, set to begin
  • China says it’s an internal affair

TAIPEI, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Suspected drones flew over outlying Taiwanese islands and hackers attacked its defense ministry website, authorities in Taipei said on Thursday, a day after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi that outraged China.

China was to begin a series of military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday in response to Pelosi’s visit, some of which were to take place within the island’s 12-mile sea and air territory, according to the defense ministry in Taipei.

That has never happened before and a senior ministry official described the potential move as “amounting to a sea and air blockade of Taiwan”.

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China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, said on Thursday its differences with the self-ruled island were an internal affair. read more

“Our punishment of pro-Taiwan independence diehards, external forces is reasonable, lawful,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said.

China’s Xinhua news agency has said the exercises, involving live fire drills, will take place in six areas which ring Taiwan and will begin at 0400 GMT.

On Wednesday night, just hours after Pelosi left for South Korea, unidentified aircraft, probably drones, had flown above the area of ​​the Kinmen islands, Taiwan’s defense ministry said. read more

Major General Chang Zone-sung of the army’s Kinmen Defense Command told Reuters that the drones came in a pair and flew into the Kinmen area twice on Wednesday night, at around 9 pm (1300 GMT). and 10 p.m.

“We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away. After that, they turned around. They came into our restricted area and that’s why we dispersed them,” he said.

The heavily fortified Kinmen islands are just off the southeastern coast of China, near the city of Xiamen.

The defense ministry also said its website suffered cyber attacks and went offline temporarily late on Wednesday night, adding it was working closely with other authorities to enhance cyber security as tensions with China rise. read more

Pelosi, the highest-level US visitor to Taiwan in 25 years, praised its democracy and pledged American solidarity during her brief stopover, adding that Chinese anger could not stop world leaders from traveling there.

China summoned the US ambassador in Beijing and halted several agricultural imports from Taiwan.

Security in the area around the US Embassy in Beijing remained unusually tight on Thursday as it has been throughout this week.

Although Chinese social media users have vented fury on Pelosi, there were no signs of significant protests or calls to boycott US products.

‘WILL NOT LEAVE TAIWAN’

Taiwan scrambled jets on Wednesday to warn away 27 Chinese aircraft in its air defense zone, the island’s defense ministry said, adding that 22 of them crossed the median line separating the island from China. read more

Pelosi arrived with a congressional delegation on her unannounced but closely watched visit late on Tuesday, defying China’s repeated warnings and amid sharply deteriorating US-Chinese relations.

“Our delegation came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear that we will not abandon Taiwan,” Pelosi told Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who Beijing suspects of pushing for formal independence – a red line for China. read more

“Now, more than ever, America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial, and that’s the message we are bringing here today.”

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring it under its control. The United States and the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations warned China against using the visit as a pretext for military action against Taiwan.

“Sadly, Taiwan has been prevented from participating in global meetings, most recently the World Health Organization, because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party,” Pelosi said in a statement issued after her departure.

“While they may prevent Taiwan from sending its leaders to global forums, they cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from traveling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration,” Pelosi added . read more

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Reporting by Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Tony Munroe; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Ron Johnson suggests Medicare, Social Security be approved on an annual basis

Ron Johnson suggests Medicare, Social Security be approved on an annual basis

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Wednesday that Social Security and Medicare should be up for congressional approval each year, instead of staying under their current status as federal entitlement programs.

“Social Security and Medicare, if you qualify for the entitlement, you just get it no matter what the cost,” Johnson said in an interview that aired Tuesday on “The Regular Joe Show” podcast.

The Wisconsin senator, who is up for reelection in a highly contested race this fall that will help determine which party holds the majority next year, argued that the mandatory spending status of funding for the federal programs should be switched to discretionary spending “so it’s all evaluated.”

“Our problem in this country is that more than 70 percent of our federal budget, of our federal spending, is all mandatory spending. It’s on automatic pilot. It never — you just don’t do proper oversight. You don’t get in there and fix the programs going bankrupt. It’s just on automatic pilot,” Johnson said.

“As long as things are on automatic pilot, we just continue to pile up debt,” he added.

I have argued that funding for the programs should instead come before Congress for annual approval.

A spokesperson for Johnson’s office told The Hill in a statement Wednesday that the senator “never suggested putting Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.”

“The Senator’s point was that without fiscal discipline and oversight typically found with discretionary spending, Congress has allowed the guaranteed benefits for programs like Social Security and Medicare to be threatened. This must be addressed by Congress taking its responsibilities seriously to ensure that seniors don’t need to question whether the programs they depend on remain solvent,” the spokesperson said.

Social Security benefits are available to US retirees, and Medicare health insurance is available to citizens who are over the age of 65 or disabled. American workers’ taxes fund the programs, with workers paying into the federal programs. In the case of Social Security, benefits are linked in part to one’s earnings, which help determine a monthly payment.

Democrats quickly pounced on Johnson’s remarks, suggesting the majority party thinks they could hurt Johnson in his reelection bid.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) said that Johnson’s comments showed that the programs could be cut by Republicans.

“They’re saying the quiet part out loud. MAGA Republicans want to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block,” Schumer wrote, referring to the Trump campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Johnson’s spokesperson pushed back against the majority leader, saying in a statement that “Senator Schumer is lying about what Sen. Johnson said.”

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After a deadly 2009 attack, the CIA’s hunt for Zawahiri became personal

After a deadly 2009 attack, the CIA's hunt for Zawahiri became personal

Comment

It was one of the darkest days in CIA history: Seven operatives killed after being lured by a rogue informant into a deadly trap. In the years since, memories of the 2009 disaster in eastern Afghanistan helped to animate the intelligence agency’s global search for an elusive terrorist believed to have played a key role in the officers’ deaths.

That terrorist was Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader killed on Saturday, in a strike carried out by the CIA. Nothing in official US statements describes Zawahiri’s death as payback for the American losses in Khost, Afghanistan, some 12 years earlier. But many former and current intelligence officers say that’s exactly how it felt.

The CIA, per usual practice, has not publicly acknowledged any part in firing the missile that struck Zawahiri as he stood on his balcony in an apartment building in Kabul, the Afghan capital. But since Monday, confirmation of the 71-year-old Egyptian’s death has triggered an emotional response within the agency’s Langley, Va., headquarters, and also with former colleagues, friends and family members of those who were killed or wounded in 2009.

“This is an incredibly personal moment,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former officer with the CIA’s operations division who served with several of the five men and two women from the agency killed at Camp Chapman, a CIA base on the outskirts of Khost from which the agency ran clandestine missions against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. In addition to the seven CIA operatives, a senior Jordanian intelligence officer and an Afghan driver were also killed.

Polymeropoulos described the deaths at Camp Chapman as “the most stark example of the tragic costs of the fight against terrorism.”

Numerous current and former CIA officials marked the news of Zawahiri’s death with social media posts paying tribute to the CIA officers and security team officials who died in the Khost attack, the deadliest against the CIA since eight employees were killed in a bombing at the US Embassy in Beirut in 1983.

“Just remember. They are heroes,” former CIA director and retired Gen. Michael N. Hayden wrote in a Twitter post. In an interview, Hayden recalled working with two of the slain officers, Khost base chief Jennifer Matthews and Elizabeth Hanson, and learning about their deaths while at CIA headquarters on the day of the attack.

“I went outside to my car and cried,” Hayden said.

CIA Director William J. Burns, in response to a query from The Washington Post, did not comment on details of the operation against Zawahiri but said the events were “deeply personal for CIA.”

Zawahiri appeared on his balcony. The CIA was ready to kill him.

“In the hunt for Ayman al-Zawahiri, a brutal attack took the lives of seven CIA officers in Khost in 2009,” Burns said. “While terrorism remains a very real challenge, Zawahiri’s removal diminishes that threat and offers a measure of justice.”

Zawahiri’s role in al-Qaeda’s astonishingly complex operation against the CIA base was chronicled in a 2011 book and also described in articles and essays about the attack. The key figure was a Jordanian national, Humam al-Balawi, a physician who got into trouble in his home country for posting pro-al-Qaeda messages on social media. After being interrogated by Jordan’s intelligence service, he was persuaded to become a counterterrorism informant. Ultimately, Balawi agreed to travel to Pakistan to gather information that might aid the CIA’s search for Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

After disappearing for months, Balawi surfaced in late 2009 with a startling claim: He had established high-level contacts within the community of al-Qaeda militants hiding out in the lawless tribal region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

As proof, Balawi began supplying evidence of his interactions — including cellphone videos of senior al-Qaeda leaders — to his Jordanian handlers, who passed the information to the CIA. Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate regularly works with US counterparts in tracking and foiling terrorist operations around the world, and the two countries conferred closely on the Balawi case.

By late December 2009, the CIA was anxious to meet with the Jordanian spy, sensing a potential breakthrough in the agency’s long-dormant search for bin Laden and other terrorist leaders behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. With seeming reluctance, Balawi agreed to a meeting at the CIA base in Khost. Then, in a move that ensured an enthusiastic reception from the Americans, he dangled a particularly tantalizing new detail: the physician was providing medical care for Zawahiri, then al-Qaeda’s No. 2.

Balawi shared obscure details about Zawahiri’s physical condition, including his various chronic maladies and his scars from years of torture in Egyptian prisons. The details matched what the CIA already knew about Zawahiri, and seemed to confirm that Balawi was indeed in close contact with the al-Qaeda deputy.

The meeting was set for Dec. 30, 2009, with numerous CIA counterterrorism experts planning to attend. Balawi arrived by car and, because of the extreme sensitivity surrounding the meeting, the CIA deferred any physical searches of the informant until he was well inside the agency’s compound.

Balawi had indeed been on a mission, but his allegiance was to al-Qaeda, not to Jordan or the CIA. Under his cloak he hid a bomb made of powerful C4 explosives. After coming within feet of the CIA team, I detonated the device.

The attack led to an extensive investigation and prompted numerous operational changes, including a strengthening of counterintelligence safeguards. Agency officials were unable to determine the full extent of Zawahiri’s involvement in planning the 2009 attack, but at the very least he allowed himself to be bait for a sophisticated operation that enabled a suicide bomber to penetrate an ultra-secure and highly secretive CIA facility, current and former officials said.

Zawahiri’s path to a global terrorist leader

It’s why many in the CIA saw Zawahiri’s death as justice delivered, after years of waiting. On Tuesday, a printed copy of a Washington Post article was placed on the grave of Matthews, the Khost base chief killed in 2009. “US kills al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike in Kabul,” the headline read.

The photo was featured in a Twitter post on Tuesday by Kristin Wooda former CIA officer who worked with Matthews.

“Be at peace, sister,” the tweet reads.

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Alex Jones trial verdict update: Infowars host says Sandy Hook shooting was 100% real

Alex Jones trial verdict update: Infowars host says Sandy Hook shooting was 100% real

Alex Jones lawyers accidentally sent his text messages to the prosecution

InfoWars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has finished testifying in the defamation damages trial against him over his claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting massacre, which saw 20 children and six adults killed, was a hoax.

He was taken to court in Austin, Texas, by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of Jesse Lewis, who was six years old when he was killed in the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Both gave impassioned testimony when in the witness box, with Ms Lewis able to confront Jones and look him straight in the eye when speaking about her son de ella.

Jones is facing potential damages of up to $150m. The radio host underwent an uncomfortable cross-examination on Wednesday morning when much of what he testified was refuted by the plaintiff’s attorney and he was asked if he was aware of what perjury was.

During questioning Jones was confronted not just with what he had said about Sandy Hook, but also about the judge and jury in the case. It also transpired that his own lawyer had mistakenly shared the entire contents of Jones’ phone with the opposition legal team — this is now reportedly being sought by the House select committee looking into the events surrounding 6 January 2021 in Washington, DC, when Jones was in the city.

The jury is now deliberating.

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Report: Jan 6 probe to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained in Sandy Hook trial

The January 6 committee is preparing to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails that were accidentally sent to an attorney for the Sandy Hook victims, according to a report.

Attorney Mark Bankston revealed he had mistakenly received a trove of thousands of Jones’ private communications during the Infowars founder’s defamation trial on Wednesday.

Within minutes of the stunning revelation, the House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol began preparing to subpoena the messages, a source told rolling stone.

Jan 6 committee to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained in Sandy Hook trial

The text messages were sent to a lawyer representing Sandy Hook families during Jones’ defamation trial

Oliver O’Connell4 August 2022 04:00

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Jones’ attorney mistakenly sent two years of his text messages to opposing lawyer

Alex Jones’ attorney accidentally sent two years of his text messages to the lawyer representing the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, a court has been told.

Mark Bankston, who represents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis in their ongoing defamation trial against Jones, made the stunning claim during cross-examination of the Infowars founder on Wednesday.

Alex Jones’ attorney mistakenly sent two years of his text messages to rival lawyer

The stunning claim was made during the cross examination of Alex Jones on Wednesday

Oliver O’Connell4 August 2022 03:00

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Watch: Sandy Hook victim’s mother confronts Alex Jones in court

Sandy Hook victim’s mother confronts Alex Jones in court

Oliver O’Connell4 August 2022 02:00

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Jones shakes his head as his Sandy Hook shooting lies read out in court

Right-wing agitator Alex Jones shook his head repeatedly as his lies about the Sandy Hook school shooting massacre were read out to a Texas jury on the first day of his defamation trial.

Alex Jones shakes head as Sandy Hook shooting lies read out in court

Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin’s son, Jesse, was among the 20 children and six adults who were massacred by a gunman in 2012

Oliver O’Connell4 August 2022 01:00

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ICYMI: Jones berates reporter as ‘pirate’ outside Sandy Hook trial

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones berated a reporter outside of his defamation trial for spreading false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was staged.

“You pretend to be a journalist, and you want to look at people like me so you can say you’re the good guy,” the Infowars host told Huffington Post journalist Sebastian Murdock.

Alex Jones berates reporter as ‘pirate’ outside Sandy Hook trial

Right-wing Infowars host has been scolded for outbursts during trial

Oliver O’Connell4 August 2022 00:00

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Watch: Father of Sandy Hook victim testifies at Alex Jones trial

Father of Sandy Hook victim testifies at Alex Jones trial

Oliver O’Connell3 August 2022 23:15

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Judge Gamble tells the opposing teams that she requires one member of counsel from each side to be in the building at all times while the jury is deliberating.

The parties do not have to be present.

Oliver O’Connell3 August 2022 22:46

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Jury begins deliberations

The jury has been excused to begin their deliberations and can carry on until 5pm CT (6pm ET).

They will then break for the night until 9am CT tomorrow.

Oliver O’Connell3 August 2022 22:39

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The plaintiffs’ attorney Kyle Farrar is giving a final closing rebuttal.

“We’re still living Alex Jones’s conspiracy world,” he says, in which the plaintiffs are being weaponized, the jury was handpicked, and the judge is part of the Deep State.

“That’s the spin Jones wants to put on this verdict.”

“They called them [the plaintiffs] liars for 10 years to make money, and they’re calling them liars here to save money,” Mr Farrar says of the Jones defense argument to avoid a large financial compensation bill.

Mr Farrar adds that Jones’ apology is worth nothing because his attorney just said his client did nothing wrong.

Oliver O’Connell3 August 2022 22:32

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The use of that poem by Martin Niemöller has understandably generated quite a reaction online.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Oliver O’Connell3 August 2022 22:24

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DeSantis claims concern over monkeypox is overblown

DeSantis claims concern over monkeypox is overblown

The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a global health emergency, with more than 25,000 cases reported in 83 countries. Seventy-six countries seeing monkeypox cases don’t typically have infections, according to the CDC. Monkeypox can be spread through skin-to-skin contact and the current infections are overwhelmingly among men who have sex with men.

New York City, which has declared a local state of emergency, has emerged as the epicenter of the disease, with over 1,600 cases of monkeypox. California, which has more than 800 cases, and Illinois, with about 500 cases, have also declared states of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.

DeSantis also blasted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, for declaring a state of emergency over the outbreak, saying he was convinced it was a move to restrict people from freedom.

“They’re going to abuse those emergency powers to restrict your freedom,” Desantis said. “I guarantee you that’s what will happen.”

DeSantis’ surgeon general, Joseph A. Ladapo, said on Wednesday during the same press conference that Florida has an adequate number of monkeypox vaccines, though he questioned the safety of two vaccines recommended for monkeypox by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I have claimed very little data exists on their effectiveness.

The CDC has recommended two vaccines to treat monkeypox — Jynneos, also known as Imvamune or Imvanex, from Denmark, and another known as ACAM2000, which was developed after the World Health Organization declared smallpox as eliminated in 1980.

Ladapo has a long history of questioning the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines despite the vast majority of medical professionals, including the US Food and Drug administration and Mayo Clinic, have emphasized the safety and effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine.

A US Department of Health and Human Services database also shows the state was allocated 36,383 doses of the Jynneos vaccine last week.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), who is challenging DeSantis for governor, criticized the governor over his response to the virus.

“While Governor DeSantis dismisses Monkeypox, at-risk Floridians still need better information, better testing, and access to vaccines for prevention,” he said on Twitter.

During the press conference, DeSantis also railed against gender affirming surgeries for children, saying that doctors who perform such procedures should be sued. His comments from him follow a request by the Florida Department of Health to the state medical board to ban transition-related medical care for children. The Florida Board of Medicine is expected to vote on whether to begin the rule-making process for the ban on Friday.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association support gender-affirming care for adults and adolescents. Medical guidelines, however, do not recommend gender-affirming surgeries for children under 18.

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Coal industry ‘shocked and disheartened’ by Manchin climate deal

Manchin, Sinema 'exchanging text' on climate, tax deal

The West Virginia Coal Association and several other state-based coal industry groups on Wednesday blasted the tax and climate deal that Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) agreed to last week, warning it will “severely threaten American coal” and an estimated 381,000 jobs.

“This legislation is so egregious, it leaves those of us that call Sen. Manchin a friend, shocked and disheartened,” the groups wrote in a blistering statement that accused the West Virginia senator of zigzagging in the energy debate.

“Sen. Manchin has seemingly fought against numerous climate measures advanced over the past year by the national democratic establishment,” the groups said. “The current Schumer-Manchin draft agreement on climate and energy frankly leaves us questioning the motivation and sincerity of Manchin’s previous stance and his repeated chant from him: we must ‘innovate not eliminate.’”

The groups warn the deal Manchin crafted with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) after months of negotiation “will quickly diminish our coal producing operations and all but obviate any need to innovate coal assets.”

The groups argue the bill — which Democrats have dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act and plan to pass this weekend — will do “nothing for coal or coal generation” and won’t reduce inflation or lower household energy costs.

“By turbocharging the lofty incentives that already extend to renewable energy, our nation’s baseload (reliable) coal electric generation assets will continue to be devalued and thrust into rapid decline,” the groups warned.

The statement was signed by Chris Hamilton, the president of the West Virginia Coal Association, as well as the leaders of the Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming mining associations.

Manchin on Tuesday said he didn’t agree with predictions the bill will lead to coal plants closing in his state.

“I don’t think that’s the case at all,” he told reporters. “We have to have a vibrant fossil industry. We have a lot of coal plants that have been pretty old.”

“Coal is going to be needed for the base load that we’re going to have to have,” he said, arguing that coal will continue to generate enough electricity to meet minimum domestic demand.

Manchin also cited permitting reform, an initiative he is pushing in conjunction with the energy and climate provisions in the budget bill, as something that will also help fossil fuel producers.

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Carolyn Maloney stands by ‘Biden won’t run’ in 2024 remark

Carolyn Maloney stands by 'Biden won't run' in 2024 remark

Manhattan Rep. Carolyn Maloney doubled down Wednesday on her view that President Biden won’t seek re-election — even as she said she would back him if he did.

“I don’t believe he’s running for re-election,” Maloney declared Tuesday night during the NY1 three-way Democratic primary debate for New York’s 12th congressional district against Rep. Jerry Nadler and lawyer Suraj Patel.

Maloney’s surprise statement became national news and has become a talking point for Republicans that proof that Biden is washed up.

But it wasn’t just Maloney.

Nadler, who — because of court-ordered redistricting mandated after illegal gerrymandering by state Democrats — chose to fight it out with his one-time ally Maloney, also showed a lack of confidence in the commander in chief.

And he would not commit to supporting Biden’s re-election.

“Too early to say. Doesn’t serve the purpose of the Democratic Party to, to deal with that until after the midterms,” Nadler said in the debate.

By comparison, Patel simply said “yes” that he supports Biden’s re-election.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Carolyn Maloney speaks during New York’s 12th Congressional District Democratic primary debate.
Mary Altaffer/AP

Maloney, during an interview with The Post Wednesday, stood by her surprise remark that Biden, 79, won’t seek re-election. Biden’s approval ratings are at record lows in recent polls.

“That’s my personal opinion,” she said.

But a day later, Maloney sought to soften the blow, saying she would support Biden if he does run for a second term.

“If President Biden runs again, I will support him,” said Maloney, who has served in Congress since 1993.

“I’m glad Biden ran for president and defeated President Trump. He’s a great president.”

Political analysts said Maloney stated the obvious about what many Democrats are thinking privately about Biden, 79.

“It tells you that Democrats are very worried about a Joe Biden campaign in 2024 and what it could do to their chances of keeping the House,” said consultant Hank Sheinkopf.

“If we judge by today his poll numbers today, they’re atrocious and the sense that things are out of control and mismanaged is clear. It seems it would take an act of god to bring inflation down and lower gas prices in order to make Biden look like he’s in charge again – whether it’s his fault or not – and it looks like he’s not.

Sheinkopf said the video of Maloney and Nadler’s lack of enthusiasm for Biden is a “very good anti-Biden ad” for Republicans.

“Republicans will be able to use the video from that debate in races around the country by saying: `even if these people don’t want him!.’”

President Joe Biden
Rep. Maloney backtracked her statement, saying that she would support Biden if he chooses to run again.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Stu Loeser, who served as press secretary for former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, tweeted Tuesday night, “If lifelong professional liberal Dems in one of the deepest blue districts in the US can’t support the Democratic agenda, then….”

“Right on cue, the not-even-that-good oppo team at the RNC weaponizes this against Biden. That’s the downside.”

Perhaps sensing the political damage her remarks inflicted on Biden, Maloney also issued a statement on twitter.

“I will absolutely support President Biden, if he decides to run for re-election,” she said. “Biden’s leadership securing historic investments for healthcare, climate & economic justice prove once again why he is the strong and effective leader we need right now.”

“I urge all Democrats to stay united & focused on working towards winning the midterms,” she added.

Nadler also expounded on his non-endorsement of a second Biden term Wednesday, saying it was not intended as a snub.

“Anyone watching last night’s debate would have heard my extremely effusive comments about President Biden’s performance during historically trying times. As I have said many times, I strongly support the president,” Nadler said told The Post.

“My point in response to a yes or no question about the 2024 election was simply that a discussion about anything else then the historic midterm election this year is a distraction from our important work of keeping our House and Senate majorities and protecting our democracy.”

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Jerry Nadler and attorney Suraj Patel debate during New York's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary debate.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Jerry Nadler and attorney Suraj Patel debate during New York’s 12th Congressional District Democratic primary debate.
Mary Altaffer/AP

But Patel, during an MSNBC interview Wednesday, accused Maloney and Nadler of throwing the president “under the bus.”

“What the heck are you thinking, giving Republicans talking points ammo and making an ageist argument against your own president,” Patel said.

“Fact of the matter is, Joseph Robinette Biden was the only one capable of beating Donald Trump… He will after this climate bill, be the most accomplished President since Lyndon Baines Johnson. And as commander in chief, he has put Putin in a box.”

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-Bronx-Queens) previously said she “will cross that bridge when we get to it” when asked about Biden’s re-election, saying she would first focus on helping Democrats preserve their House majority in the mid -term elections.

Other House Democratic members from New York had no immediate comment.

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Alex Jones’s attorney ‘messed up’ and sent two years of texts to Sandy Hook parents’ lawyers

Alex Jones's attorney 'messed up' and sent two years of texts to Sandy Hook parents' lawyers

The legal team for far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones accidentally sent two years of his phone records to the attorneys for parents of a Sandy Hook school shooting victim, cross-examination revealed Wednesday during his defamation trial.

“Your attorneys messed up and sent me an entire digital copy of your entire cellphone with every text message you’ve sent for the past two years,” attorney Mark Bankston Told Jones during a hearing to decide damages in the civil case.

“And that is how I know you lied to me when you said you didn’t have to text messages about Sandy Hook,” he added.

Jones has long touted a theory that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was a hoax.

He was found guilty by default in four defamation cases last year after failing to comply with court orders.

Bankston argued Wednesday that Jones lied under oath about having searched his own phone for the texts and withheld the evidence in lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook families.

Jones replied that he’d given his phone over to his team.

“This is your Perry Mason moment,” he told Bankston, making reference to the fictional TV lawyer who often presented dramatic evidence at trial that changed the proceedings.

Bankston is part of the legal team representing Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Jesse Lewis.

The Washington Post reported that Bankston caught Jones in a similar contradiction about related emails, showing the court copies of emails sent by Jones despite his insistence that he does not use email.

Bankston also revealed evidence indicating that Jones had not been truthful about his financial situation, perhaps in an effort to skirt the $150 million in defamation damages that the Sandy Hook parents are seeking, The New York Times reported.

Jones’s company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy at the start of the trial — and his far-right website Infowars did the same back in April.

Jones testified Wednesday that he now acknowledges that the Sandy Hook massacre was real.

He said that meeting the victims’ parents, whom he previously called “crisis actors,” changed his mind. “It’s 100 percent real,” Jones said, according to The Associated Press.

Despite this concession, Jones continues to defend his actions and argues that the trial violates his free speech rights.

He arrived at the courthouse last week with “Save the 1st” written on a strip of duct tape over his mouth.

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Biden signs executive order aimed at helping women travel for abortion

Biden signs executive order aimed at helping women travel for abortion

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at helping women cross state borders to obtain abortions, his second order since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure.

The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to “consider” allowing Medicaid funds to be used to assist people traveling between states to obtain abortions. The order also directs HHS to ensure that health care providers comply with federal anti-discrimination laws so women receive “medically necessary care without delay.”

Image: Joe Biden
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, left, and Attorney General Merrick Garland listen as President Joe Biden speaks virtually during the first meeting Wednesday of the Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access at the White House.Susan Walsh/AP

Biden, who spoke virtually to his newly formed task force on reproductive health care access as he continues his Covid isolation, called the state of abortion access a “health care crisis” and warned that Republicans want to ban the procedure nationwide.

Voters in Kansas on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have removed language in the state’s constitution protecting abortion rights.

“This fight is not over, and we saw that last night in Kansas,” Biden said. “The court practically dared women in this country to go to the ballot box and restore the right to choose.”

Kansas, which borders states that have severely restricted abortion access following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, including Oklahoma and Missouri, has already become a destination for out-of-state women seeking access to abortion care.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that it would be up to HHS to ensure that the implementation of the order does not violate the Hyde Amendment, which bans using federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the woman. It is unclear how HHS will go about doing that, and the order is likely to face legal challenges from conservatives.

“This is in consultation with legal experts when we make these announcements and the president has been very clear he is going to continue to do whatever he can to make sure that a woman’s right to choose continues to be protected the best way that he can from the federal government,” she said.

Jean-Pierre said also said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra will “figure out the details and the timeline.”

Biden signed an executive order last month to safeguard access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception.

Still, the actions fall short of what some Democrats and advocates have called for, such as declaring a public health emergency over abortion.

Biden has maintained that the best way to safeguard access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law legalizing abortion access nationwide, a move that Democrats do not have enough votes for.

“We’re doing everything in our power to safeguard access to health care,” Biden said. “If Congress fails to act, the people in this country need to elect senators and representatives who will restore Roe and protect the right to privacy, freedom and equality.”

Lauren Egan is a White House reporter for NBC News based in Washington.