What we’re reading: Russian citizenship granted to Edward Snowden, Hurricane Ian forecast
FILE – In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden addresses attendees through video link at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon. A judge ruled on Dec. 17, 2019, that Snowden violated secrecy agreements with the U.S. government that allow it to claim proceeds from a memoir he published. Federal Judge Liam O’Grady ruled that Snowden is liable for breach of contract with the government because he published “Permanent Record,” without submitting it for a pre-publication review. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
Published Sep 26, 2022
Vladimir Putin grants full Russian citizenship to U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden
Russian President Vladimir Putin granted full Russian citizenship to U.S. ‘whistle blower’ Edward Snowden on Monday, according to Fox News.
Snowden, 39, fled the U.S. in May 2013 after leaking information about secret surveillance operations being conducted by the National Security Agency to the press and was given asylum in Russia according to Reuters.
Russia first granted Snowden asylum in 2014, then permanent residency in 2020 which paved the way for full citizenship.
Russia has been avoiding calls to extradite Snowden to the U.S. where he could face up to 30 years in prison due to espionage charges.
Hurricane Ian set to intensify before reaching U.S.
Hurricane Ian is forecast to rapidly intensify and reach major hurricane status tonight when it is nearing Cuba according to CNN.
The hurricane is expected to reach Category 4 strength over the Gulf of Mexico, then weaken before reaching Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The hurricane center said “considerable flooding impacts are possible mid-to-late week in central Florida given already saturated antecedent conditions, and flash and urban flooding is possible with rainfall across the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula through mid-week.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an emergency order for every county in the state, encouraging residents to prepare for the worst.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said “very few Floridians will have no impact at all.”
White House switchboard called phone linked to January 6 rioter
The White House switchboard called a phone linked to a January 6 rioter after the deadly Capitol attack had failed according to a new book by former Republican congressman and adviser to the House select committee, David Riggleman, said the Guardian.
Riggleman, former senior technical adviser for the January 6 committee, said the outgoing White House call was routed through the switchboard at 4:34pm and was answered by a rioter that has since been charged with a role in the storming of the capitol.
In an appearance Sunday on 60 Minutes, Riggleman said it is unlikely the call was an accident.
“When the White House just happened to call numbers that somebody misdialed a rioter that day, on January 6th? Probably not.”
The White House call was identified due to the “seizure time” which was found by a team of data miners working with Riggleman that identifies the call details and certifies the completion of the call.
The House select committee responded to the 60 Minutes interview and said it “has run down all the leads” that originated from Riggleman’s work.
Musk and Twitter CEO Seek to Reschedule Depositions
Parag Agrawal, the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, and Elon Musk were set to be deposed on Monday as a part of the company’s ongoing lawsuit to force Elon Musk to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the company according to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg said both Musk and Agrawal seek to reschedule their depositions according to a confidential source.
The lawsuit is set to begin on Oct. 17 and will take place for five days.
Musk backed out of the Twitter deal on July 8 and said in a regulatory filing that it was due to “misleading representations” over the number of spam accounts on the social media platform.
