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Russia remains a key arms supplier in South-east Asia, and Trump’s unstable leadership is providing more opportunities to make inroadsA defence industry report claiming that Russia requested a permanent base for its warplanes in Indonesia’s remote Papua region, right on Australia’s northern doorstep, sent Canberra into a tailspin. But in Indonesia, it was the frenzy whipped up in Australia’s tight election campaign that came as the real surprise.Foreign policy and defence experts are highly sceptical about the prospect that Jakarta would ever acquiesce to such a Russian request, and besides, it is hardly new. Moscow has sought permanent basing rights for its planes at Indonesia’s Biak airfield in Papua for almost half a century – and not once has it won approval. Continue reading...

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has the tools to proceed with criminal contempt charges against President Donald Trump's administration — and can also enforce a sentence if they are found guilty, a legal analyst said Wednesday.Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern addressed Boasberg's ruling regarding the government's response to his court order.The issue involved deportation flights to El Salvador that the judge ordered to turn around and return to the United States. The judge said at the time that the individuals deported did not have the due process to which they were entitled. They, however, landed in the Central American country, and the occupants were transferred to the infamous CECOT megaprison.In his 46-page opinion, Boasberg found that "probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt."Writing about the matter, Stern explained that the only way out is that the government could "purge" the contempt by “asserting custody of the individuals” taken to the country without allowing them due process. ALSO READ: 'We know where this leads': How Trump’s crackdown puts Jewish people in peril"The Supreme Court unanimously agreed that migrants have a right to file these challenges, called habeas petitions, just last week," Stern pointed out. In a different case, a Maryland man was deported to El Salvador. The government acknowledges that doing so was its mistake. The government has said that they have no control over anyone once they arrive in El Salvador. "Boasberg is, in effect, calling the government’s bluff," wrote Stern. "He will forgo contempt proceedings if officials let CECOT detainees vindicate their rights. But by doing so, these officials will have to acknowledge that they do exercise constructive custody over these individuals. And this acknowledgment would puncture the fiction that they have no practical authority to bring Kilmar Ábrego García, or anyone else, back from El Salvador."If the Justice Department refuses the offer, Stern said that Boasberg will "'proceed to identify the individual(s) responsible' for defying his orders, through 'live witness testimony' if necessary."MSNBC legal analysts Lisa Rubin and Barbara McQuade said on Wednesday that there is precedent for a judge appointing an attorney to prosecute the government if the Justice Department refuses to do so. "If Boasberg orders the defendants arrested and jailed, federal marshals are responsible for carrying out the task," wrote Stern. He cited a recent report from Democracy Docket saying, "If the Justice Department instructs marshals to stand down, Boasberg can appoint other law enforcement officers, including state police, to seize and detain the federal officials who defied him."The U.S. Supreme Court could intervene, however. "Simply as a matter of preserving the judiciary’s independence, the justices should back him up and decline to condone such brazen defiance of judicial authority," Stern asserted. "But this Supreme Court keeps dodging conflicts with Trump at the expense of its own power."Another possibility, he said, is that Trump could pardon anyone accused of criminal contempt, even preemptively. Read the full report here.

President Donald Trump's scheme to earn revenue by selling "gold card" immigrant visas is being brought to life by Elon Musk's DOGE team, according to a new report in The New York Times.Trump first discussed the notion in February to sell the exclusive visas for $5 million a piece to give “very high-level people” a “route to citizenship.”At the time, Trump and his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, claimed the gold card visas would replace the EB-5 visa that grants citizenship to foreign nationals who invest in U.S. businesses, according to the report. "That program provided green cards to individuals who invested either $800,000 or $1.05 million, creating at least 10 jobs for American workers. It raised about $4 billion for the federal government last year," wrote reporters Ryan Mac and Hamed Aleaziz.ALSO READ: Violent J6er who broke into Capitol announces run for Congress in East TexasDOGE engineers have worked with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, "to create a website and application process for the visas," the report said.Reportedly tasked with heading up the team to attract ultra-wealthy immigrants were 19-year-old Edward Coristine, who goes by "Big Balls" online, and 26-year-old Marko Elez, whose racist social media posts called for immigration policies based on eugenics.Lutnick was quoted on a podcast last month claiming "he had sold 1,000 of the visas 'yesterday.' But a person close to the project said no money had been exchanged yet," the report stated.“So if you have a gold card — which used to be a green card — you’re a permanent resident of America," Lutnick continued, adding, "They pay $5 million, and they have the right to be an American and the right to be in America as long as they’re good people and they’re vetted and they can’t break the law.”Read The New York Times article here.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled on Wednesday that "probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt." The issue involved deportation flights to El Salvador that the judge ordered turn around and return to the United States. The judge said at the time that the individuals deported did not have the due process to which they were entitled. They, however, landed in the Central American country and the occupants were transferred to a jail there.In a 46-page opinion, Boasberg wrote, "The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it. To permit such officials to freely 'annul the judgments of the courts of the United States' would not just 'destroy the rights acquired under those judgments'; it would make 'a solemn mockery' of 'the constitution itself.'"Speaking to MSNBC, former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade said, "The judge wasn't going to let this go."ALSO READ: 'We know where this leads': How Trump’s crackdown puts Jewish people in perilShe also pointed out that the government "hedged and changed its story many, many times." The judge outlined the next steps toward possible prosecution, wrote legal analyst Chris Geidner. Boasberg said that the government can "repatriate the deportees or turn over names for prosecution," said Alex Nowrasteh, a Cato Institute vice president of economics and social policy. "Get ready for prosecutions."MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin joined McQuade in pointing out that if the judge decides to refer the government for contempt and the DOJ refuses to move forward with charges, he can appoint a prosecutor to do it. "So, I think the stakes are very high for the Department of Justice," said McQuade. "I don't think he's going to back down. I think if they refuse to comply, he will refer this to a private lawyer to prosecute somebody at the Justice Department. And I think that if the president or the executive branch continue to disobey this order, really the only remedy left at that point is congressional oversight all the way up to, potentially, impeachment."Rubin agreed, citing an example of historic precedent for it in the Southern District of New York. "As we all already knew, the gov’t was acting in contempt of Judge Boasberg’s order, just as it’s acting in contempt of Judge Xinis’s order right now. We shall see how this all plays out under the fragile separation of powers outlined in our Constitution. Concern is warranted," wrote civil rights litigator Patrick Jaicomo, from the Institute for Justice.Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote on X, "Boasberg is now the first judge to find probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt of court.""This sets up a significant escalation between the judiciary and the executive at a time when the administration is already flirting with defying the Supreme Court," he added.Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, posted on X, "We plan to seek immediate appellate relief. The President is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country."See the MSNBC video below or at the link here. - YouTube youtu.be

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, to stand trial for plotting multiday slaughter carried out by 10 Islamist gunmenA Pakistan-born Canadian citizen wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege has landed in New Delhi after his extradition from the United States.Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, arrived at a military airbase outside the Indian capital under heavily armed guard late on Thursday, and will be held in detention to face trial. Continue reading...

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Kanamara Matsuri has been an annual tradition since 1969, and besides being known for its fun, it raises money for a good cause.View Entire Post ›

Numerous passengers traveling on major cruise lines such as Carnival and Disney say in court documents that they were raped and assaulted — oftentimes by crew members.View Entire Post ›