Headline

Jan. 6 Committee Requests Interview With Ivanka Trump

Published

4 years ago

January 22, 2022

The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection is asking Ivanka Trump, daughter of former President Donald Trump, to voluntarily cooperate as lawmakers make their first public attempt to arrange an interview with a Trump family member.

The committee sent a letter Thursday requesting a meeting in February with Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser to her father.

In the letter, the committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Ivanka Trump was in direct contact with her father during key moments on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s presidential win.

The riot followed a rally near the White House where Donald Trump had urged his supporters to “fight like hell” as Congress convened to certify the 2020 election results.

The committee says it wants to discuss what Ivanka Trump knew about her father’s efforts, including a telephone call they say she witnessed, to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject those results, as well as concerns she may have heard from Pence’s staff, members of Congress and the White House counsel’s office about those efforts.

“Ivanka Trump just learned that the January 6 Committee issued a public letter asking her to appear,” her spokesperson said. “As the Committee already knows, Ivanka did not speak at the January 6 rally.”

The committee cited testimony that Ivanka Trump implored her father to quell the violence by his supporters and investigators want to ask about her actions while the insurrection was underway.

“Testimony obtained by the Committee indicates that members of the White House staff requested your assistance on multiple occasions to intervene in an attempt to persuade President Trump to address the ongoing lawlessness and violence on Capitol Hill,” Thompson wrote.

The letter is the committee’s first attempt to seek information from inside the Trump family.

Earlier this week, it issued subpoenas to lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other members of Trump’s legal team who filed meritless court challenges to the election that fueled the lie that the race had been stolen from Trump.

The committee is narrowing in on three requests to Ivanka Trump, starting with a conversation alleged to have taken place between Donald Trump and Pence on the morning of the attack.

The committee said Keith Kellogg, who was Pence’s national security adviser, was also in the room and testified to investigators that Trump questioned whether Pence had the courage to delay the congressional counting of the electoral votes.

The Constitution makes clear that a vice president’s role is largely ceremonial in the certification process, and Pence had issued a statement before the congressional session that laid out his conclusion that a vice president could not claim “unilateral authority” to reject states’ electoral votes.

“You were present in the Oval Office and observed at least one side of that telephone conversation,” the letter to Ivanka Trump said, adding that the committee “wishes to discuss the part of the conversation you observed” between the then-president and Pence.

The letter also mentioned a message, in the days before the scheduled vote certification on Jan. 6, 2021, between an unidentified member of the House Freedom Caucus to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows with an explicit warning: “If POTUS allows this to occur … we’re driving a stake in the heart of the federal republic.” POTUS is an abbreviation for president of the United States.

The other requests in the letter to Ivanka Trump concern conversations after Donald Trump’s tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”

The committee said White House staff and even members of Congress requested Ivanka Trump’s help in trying to convince her father that he should address the violence and tell rioters to go home.

“We are particularly interested in this question: Why didn’t White House staff simply ask the President to walk to the briefing room and appear on live television — to ask the crowd to leave the capital?”

Besides the subpoenas issued this week, the committee had a victory Wednesday when the Supreme Court rejected a bid by Trump to block the release of White House records sought by lawmakers.

The National Archives began to turn over the hundreds of pages of records to the nine-member committee almost immediately. They include presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts and handwritten notes dealing with Jan. 6 from the Meadows’ files.

The committee’s investigation has touched nearly every corner of Trump’s orbit in the nearly seven months since it was created, from strategist Steve Bannon to media companies such as Twitter, Meta and Reddit.

The committee says it has interviewed nearly 400 people and issued dozens of subpoenas as it prepares a report set for release before the November elections.

Still, the committee has run into roadblocks from some of Trump’s allies, including Bannon and Meadows, who have refused to fully cooperate. Their resistance has led the committee to file charges of contempt of Congress.

The seven Democrats and two Republicans on the committee have also faced defiance from fellow lawmakers. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and GOP Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Jim Jordan of Ohio have denied the committee’s requests for voluntary cooperation.

While the committee has considered subpoenaing fellow lawmakers, that would be an extraordinary move and could run up against legal and political challenges.

The committee says the extraordinary trove of material it has collected — 35,000 pages of records so far, including texts, emails and phone records from people close to Trump — is fleshing out critical details of the worst attack on the Capitol in two centuries.

The next phase of the investigation will include a series of public hearings in the coming months.

(AP)

Headline

Frontier Flight: Passenger Tries To Open Exit Door Mid-air, Diverts To Miami

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Editor

A Frontier Airlines flight from San Juan to Chicago was forced to divert to Miami after a passenger reportedly attempted to open an emergency exit door while the aircraft was in flight.

The incident occurred mid-air when the passenger became disruptive and allegedly tried to force open the door, prompting alarm onboard. Crew members and fellow passengers quickly intervened and restrained the individual.

Following the situation, the pilots declared an emergency and diverted the flight to Miami International Airport, where it landed safely. The passenger was handed over to authorities upon arrival.

No injuries were reported, and the flight later continued to its destination after the disruption was resolved.

Details later…

Headline

White House Releases Trump’s Annual Health Report

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2026

Editor

The White House has released the results of United States President Donald Trump’s latest annual physical examination, saying the 79-year-old remains in good health and fit to carry out the duties of his office.

According to a memorandum dated May 29, 2026, and signed by Physician to the President Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, Trump underwent a comprehensive medical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 26.

The report stated that the evaluation included laboratory testing, diagnostic studies and consultations with 22 specialist physicians from leading academic institutions. It added that all assessments were conducted in line with recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The medical summary listed Trump’s vital statistics as 75 inches in height, 238 pounds in weight, a resting heart rate of 73 beats per minute and blood pressure of 105/71 mmHg. His oxygen saturation level was recorded at 98 per cent on room air, while his temperature was measured at 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Doctors reported normal findings in several areas of examination, including vision, hearing, neck, lungs, abdomen and genitourinary health. The report noted scarring on Trump’s right ear linked to a previous gunshot injury but said his hearing remained intact and his teeth were in very good condition.

The assessment also found no abnormalities in his carotid arteries, while a chest CT angiography showed no pulmonary concerns.

On cardiovascular health, the report said coronary CT angiography found no arterial blockages or structural abnormalities involving the heart and major blood vessels. Additional testing, including an echocardiogram, also returned normal results, with doctors reporting normal heart function and circulation.

The report noted that artificial intelligence-assisted electrocardiogram analysis estimated Trump’s cardiovascular age to be approximately 14 years younger than his actual age.

Doctors also reported that Trump’s abdominal and genitourinary examinations were normal. A musculoskeletal review found slight swelling in his lower legs, although the condition was said to have improved compared with the previous year.

Neurological assessments found normal mental status, cranial nerve function, strength, sensation, reflexes, gait and balance. Screening tests for depression and anxiety were normal, while a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of 30 out of 30 indicated no signs of cognitive impairment.

The report further recorded bruising on the back of Trump’s hands, which physicians attributed to soft tissue irritation associated with frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin for cardiovascular prevention. Doctors said no suspicious lesions or concerning growths were detected.

Laboratory tests, including blood counts, metabolic panels, coagulation profiles and cardiac biomarkers, were reported to be within normal ranges.

The lipid profile showed total cholesterol of 143 mg/dL, triglycerides of 104 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol of 70 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol of 53 mg/dL.

Other laboratory findings included a white blood cell count of 4.9 K/µL, haemoglobin level of 14.0, haematocrit of 40 and platelet count of 202 K/µL. Cardiac markers, including ProBNP and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, were also reported within normal limits.

The White House said Trump authorised the public release of the findings following the completion of the examination.

The statement reads partly, “PREVENTIVE CARE: The President remains up to date on all appropriate preventive screenings and immunizations. Routine cancer screenings, cardiovascular risk assessment, and metabolic evaluations are current and within recommended intervals. Preventive counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss.

“SUMMARY: President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function. His demanding daily schedule, including multiple high-level meetings, public engagements, and regular physical activity, continues to support his overall well-being. Cognitive and physical performance are excellent. He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

Headline

Ghana Parliament Approves Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Published

6 days ago

May 30, 2026

Editor

Ghana’s Parliament has approved a bill that criminalises homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities, introducing tougher restrictions on sexual minorities in the West African country.

Under the proposed law, individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer could face up to three years in prison. The legislation also requires citizens to report prohibited acts to the police.

The bill now awaits the approval of President John Mahama before it can become law.

Religious groups in Ghana have continued to push for stricter anti-gay laws since Mahama returned to office last year. Supporters of the legislation argue that it is necessary to protect the country’s cultural and family values.

The proposed law has drawn criticism from international rights organisations. Human Rights Watch warned that the bill could endanger LGBTQ+ people and create an environment where citizens monitor and report one another.

Same-sex relationships are already illegal in Ghana under laws inherited from British colonial rule.

Presenting the bill before Parliament, its sponsor, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, said the legislation was designed to preserve Ghanaian cultural and family values.

He said the new bans would make existing laws “more robust, more encompassing, and more stringent in dealing with the practices of LGBTQI”.

The bill also targets individuals who publicly support LGBTQ+ rights. Anyone identifying as an “ally” could face a prison sentence under the proposed law.

However, exemptions have been made for legal practitioners, journalists and healthcare workers who report on LGBTQ+ matters or provide medical services to gay people.

Human Rights Watch urged lawmakers to abandon the bill during its submission to the constitutional and legal affairs committee in Accra.

A similar bill was passed by Ghana’s Parliament in 2024 but failed to become law after former President Nana Akufo-Addo did not sign it while court challenges were ongoing.

President Mahama has previously expressed support for the legislation. Shortly after assuming office, he stated that “I believe in the principles and values that only two genders exist – man and woman. And that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

Ghana joins a growing number of African countries that have introduced stricter laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights in recent years.

In March, Senegal’s Parliament approved legislation that provides for prison terms of up to 10 years for same-sex sexual acts and criminalises the ”promotion” of homosexuality.

Uganda also enacted one of the continent’s toughest anti-LGBTQ+ laws in 2023, introducing the death penalty for certain same-sex acts.

(BBC News)