Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Guantanamo clients an issue for GOP:
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson represented four Guantanamo Bay detainees when she was working as a public defender. This has led some Republicans say she has a record of “defending terrorists”. She can expect them to raise sharp questions regarding this at the Senate hearings for her nomination to the Supreme Court on Monday. This criticism even comes from prominent Republicans who have previously defended other representatives for Guantanamo detainees. Jackson’s response to this is that “an attorney has a duty to represent her clients zealously,” regardless of their views. Democrats have the votes to confirm her even without GOP support. Despite this, they can expect Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is holding the hearings, to try to paint her as soft on crime and terrorism. She has already been branded as a “radical, left-wing activist” by Republicans.
American gunmakers help Ukrainians fight back against Putin:
Adrian Kellgren, director of industrial production of KelTec, holds a 9mm SUB2000 rifle, similar to ones being shipped to Ukraine, at their manufacturing facility on Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Cocoa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Former US Navy Pilot Adrian Kellgren’s family-owned gun company in Florida was left holding a $200,000 shipment of semi-automatic rifles after a longtime customer in Ukraine suddenly went silent during Russia’s invasion of the country. Kellgren and his company, KelTec, have put those 400 guns to use by sending them to Ukraine’s nascent resistance movement; helping civilians fight back against the Russian military. Kellgren said the American people, “enjoy our freedoms, we cherish those things. And when we see a group of people out there getting hammered like this, it’s heartbreaking.” This high profile example is emblematic of other similar grassroots efforts to help arm the Ukrainian populace against this invasion. However, many of these efforts are held back by their lack of experience with the many regulations governing the international shipment of military equipment. Kellgren, being more experienced, was able to secure a federal arms export license in just four days with the help of a diplomat in the Ukrainian Embassy. That process can often take months. One New York based group supporting Ukraine has been able to piggyback on KelTec’s license to export 60 long guns they recently collected.
RNC launches voter registration initiative at gas stations amid rising prices:
© Associated Press/Matt Rourke
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has launched a voter registration initiative that will run at gas stations across the country in the upcoming weeks, as fuel prices sharply. The first such event took place in Arizona on Saturday, with volunteers and staff registering Americans to vote from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. local time. Republicans have blamed President Joe Biden for the record high fuel prices the country faces as it continues its grapple with record inflation. Earlier this month, President Biden signaled that American fuel prices were likely to climb even higher this month when he announced the US’s ban on Russian oil amid its invasion of Ukraine. President Biden has also blamed gas companies for the increase in prices, claiming in a Tweet that they are padding their profits.
Sources:
Ketanji Brown Jackson's Guantanamo clients an issue for GOP | WTOP News
American gunmakers help Ukrainians fight back against Putin - AP News
RNC launches voter registration initiative at gas stations amid rising prices | TheHill