The Daily Populous

Sunday November 20th, 2022 evening edition

image for Ex-Rand Paul aide pardoned by Trump convicted of illegally funneling Russian cash to Trump campaign

A former senior aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. and Sen. Rand Paul R-Ky., was convicted Thursday of illegally helping a Russian businessman contribute to former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Benton, the husband of Paul's niece, was pardoned by Trump in 2020 for a different campaign finance crime, which involved attempting to buy an endorsement for former Rep. Ron Paul's, R-Texas, 2012 presidential bid.

But Benton left out the detail that he was getting reimbursed by the Russian citizen for the donation, prosecutors said.

Vasilenko posted the photograph with Trump on Instagram with a banner that said "Two Presidents" and advertised his own company.

Benton was previously convicted in 2016, when a former Iowa state senator admitted to taking $73,000 in payments from Ron Paul's presidential campaign in exchange for switching his endorsement to Paul.

When the scandal broke in 2014, Benton was serving as campaign manager for McConnell's 2014 re-election bid.

Trump issued a presidential pardon to Benton in December 2020 before leaving office at the urging of Rand Paul. »

At Least 378 killed In Iran Protest Crackdown, Rights Group Says

Authored by iranwire.com
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The demonstrations demanding more freedoms and women's rights have grown into a broad movement against the theocracy that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights on November 19 put the death toll of the state crackdown on protests at 378, representing an increase of 36 since the group issued its previous toll three days earlier.

Iran Human Rights said the authorities reject responsibility for the killings, attributing them to “terrorist and foreign groups.”. »

At least 5 dead, 18 injured in shooting at Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub Club Q

Authored by koaa.com
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COLORADO SPRINGS — Late Saturday night, first responders rushed to the scene of a shooting at Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, where police say 5 people were killed and 18 others were injured.

The congregation of the All Souls Unitarian Universal Church in Colorado Springs is hosting a vigil event expected to start around noon.

The location is inside a shopping center at the busy intersection of N Academy and N Carefree in Colorado Springs. »

Thinking About the Unthinkable

Authored by rand.org

Kim would thus likely worry that any PRC intervention would pose an existential threat and will be prepared to take strong military action against the PRC.

With inferior conventional military forces, Kim would almost certainly be forced to confront the PRC with nuclear weapons to deter or defeat PRC intervention.

Analysis of the existing literature and expert interviews revealed that the DPRK's future nuclear threat towards the PRC is under examined and frequently dismissed. »

FBI, Air Force Agents Raid UFO Blogger Joerg Arnu's Houses

Authored by gizmodo.com

Earlier this month, agents from both the FBI and the U.S. Air Force raided multiple homes belonging to a man who runs a little-known blog about Area 51.

He did not elaborate on its purpose, saying only: “This is an open and ongoing law enforcement investigation between the Las Vegas FBI and Air Force OSI.”.

Gizmodo reached out to both Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas and the Justice Department. »