Today’s news briefs include Secret Service testimony in Congress; Proof Venezuelan elections stolen; and airline drops costly “green” emissions goal.
Secret Service to give testimony to Congress
Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe will appear before Congress Tuesday to discuss security failures that led to Donald Trump being shot. Rowe, who took charge of the Secret Service after Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation, will tell senators from the Homeland Security and Judiciary committees: “What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer, and a twenty-five-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,” according to CNN. Text messages released and radio chatter detailed Monday show that law enforcement officers lost sight of Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and further illustrate the confused communications around tracking him at the rally.
Venezuelan opposition says it has proof election was stolen
AP reports that as thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González announced Monday that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country’s disputed election in which electoral authorities named President Nicolás Maduro the victor. González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sunday’s election, and they show González with more than double Maduro’s votes. “I speak to you with the calmness of the truth. We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory,” González said told supporters.
Airline drops highly-touted emissions goal
The BBC reports that Air New Zealand has abandoned a 2030 goal to cut its carbon emissions, blaming difficulties securing more efficient planes and sustainable jet fuel. “The move makes it the first major carrier to back away from such a climate target.” The airline is just one of hundreds of industries that have found the arbitrary goals unattainable and costly. Climate goals have already caused the cost of electricity to skyrocket across the U.S. as electric utilities rely more heavily on wind and solar which costs as much as 50% more than traditional electricity obtained from clean coal, nuclear or natural gas. There is currently no technology that would effectively allow airlines to switch from jet fuel.
–Dwight Widaman and wire services