GOP senators push back against suggested 'no fly list' for unruly passengers Washington (CNN)A group of Republican senators is pushing back against an effort supported by some of the airline industry to create a government blacklist of violent and disruptive passengers. 'Creating a federal 'no fly' list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland.' the senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland dated Monday. Nearly 500 unruly passenger incidents have been reported in the first six weeks of 2022. Federal Aviation Administration data show. for a total of more than 6.400 since the start of 2021. About two thirds of the reports this year allege violations of the federal mask mandate. The FAA said Wednesday it has referred a total of 80 incidents to the Justice Department to consider criminal prosecution. The spike in incidents has airlines calling for a government coordinated 'no fly list' for passengers who create in flight disturbances. Proponents say it would be separate from the existing government run list that is part of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database. Airlines may ban an unruly passenger from their own flights. but competition rules mean that information is not shared with other carriers. CNN broke news of the industry's ask to the government in September. and Delta Air Lines renewed the request this month in a letter to the Justice Department. The Senate group says they 'strongly condemn' the violence. but urge the Justice Department to reject the request. 'The creation of this list by DOJ would result in a severe restriction on the ability of citizens to fully exercise their constitutional right to engage in interstate transportation.' they wrote. and said the matter should be decided by Congress. The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Mike Lee of Utah. James Lankford of Oklahoma. Marco Rubio of Florida. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. Ted Cruz of Texas. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Rick Scott of Florida. A major flight attendant group responded sharply to the letter. Sara Nelson. the president of the Association of Flight Attendants. called it 'irresponsible and political brinkmanship that puts our economic security at risk right along with our lives.' 'We've been punched. kicked. spit on. and sexually assaulted.' Nelson wrote. 'We urge the FAA. TSA. and DOJ to come together to implement a plan with due process to keep dangerous flyers on the ground.' Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested to CNN's Dana Bash last fall that a federal no fly list for violent airplane passengers 'should be on the table.' and he told CNN last week that f ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gDwFajMFAk

L.A. Mayor Garcetti & Most Fans Are Maskless At Super Bowl Despite Pleas From County Officials Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among the tens of thousands at SoFi Stadium on Sunday who decided to doff their masks. A shot of the mayor maskless in his Rams gear at the game began circulating online on Sunday afternoon. prompting criticism from many who pointing out that L.A. County’s mask mandate for outdoor mega events is still in effect. The mayor was also seen without his mask at the NFC Championship game two weeks ago at Sofi. after which he said he held his breath while going barefaced to take a photo with Laker great Magic Johnson. That photo. and a similar image of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. became national news in the says after the game. Deadline reached out the the mayor’s office for comment but did not hear back. Already. in the hours after the Super Bowl. a number of conservative pundits have taken aim at Garcetti. who is President Biden’s nominee for Ambassador to India. Sean Hannity posted a reaction on his web site. and Senator Ted Cruz tweeted the photo with the comment. “He’s really good at holding his breath.” It should be said that Garcetti appears to be in an area of the stadium designated for eating and drinking and has a beverage on one hand and a mask in the other. Under L.A. County’s Health Officer Order. attendees of such mega events are allowed to take off their face coverings if they are in such a designated area and... #Sports ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMpZh6xdq_4

Wisconsin state Supreme Court lets ban on drop boxes go into effect for spring election Residents drop mail in ballots in an official ballot box outside of the Tippecanoe branch library on Oct. 20. 2020 in Milwaukee. Wis. | Getty Images By Zach Montellaro 02/11/2022 05:10 PM EST Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court is letting a ban on drop boxes in the state go into effect for the state’s spring local elections. The state’s highest court rejected a motion on Friday for a temporary stay of a lower court’s order banning drop boxes in the state. in a lawsuit brought by a conservative organization in the state. The court broke 4 3 in favor of not staying the ban. with the state’s conservative justices all siding against extending the stay and the liberal leaning justices voting to extend it. “The record before us. including the timetable for making the necessary administrative changes as outlined by the court of appeals. indicates that the Commission can comply with the circuit court’s order so as to ameliorate concerns about voter confusion and election administration before the April 5. 2022 election commences.” the order from the court read. The court had previously stayed the ban on drop boxes for the spring election primaries. which will be held on Tuesday. In that instance. Justice Brian Hagedorn. who was elected with Republican support in 2019. sided with the court’s three liberal justices to temporarily block the lower court’s ban. citing the... #Sports ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2h8qsXkfM4

UN: Journalists and Afghan nationals detained in Kabul released A pair of western journalists detained by Taliban forces in Kabul have been released along with the Afghan nationals working alongside them. the United Nations said Friday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced their release in a Friday afternoon tweet. hours after saying they had been detained. The journalists were working with the organization when they were detained. 'We are relieved to confirm the release in Kabul of the two journalists on assignment with UNHCR. and the Afghan nationals working with them. We are grateful to all who expressed concern and offered help. We remain committed to the people of Afghanistan.' the organization tweeted. The status of other foreigners the Taliban have detained in Kabul. including one American. was unclear on Friday. The two journalists detained this week were a British reporter and Irish photographer. according to The Wall Street Journal. The New York Times reported that Andrew North. a British citizen and former BBC reporter. and ex journalist Peter Jouvenal. who ran a guesthouse in Kabul. had been detained. The Taliban had been holding at least nine foreigners in Kabul. according to The Wall Street Journal. In addition to the two journalists detained this week. seven others have been held in the Afghan capital since December. Six of those are British. and one is American. according to the Journal. Those... #Sports ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE-4ME14L9s