News Editor’s Roundup: U.S. Targets Iran-Backed Militias With Airstrikes on Iraq-Syria Border

BY JACK CROWE

June 28, 2021

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

U.S. Targets Iran-Backed Militias With Airstrikes on Iraq-Syria Border

U.S. military forces launched defensive precision airstrikes against three facilities near the Iraq-Syria border region on Sunday evening.

The airstrikes on two militia locations in Syria and one in Iraq came in response to recent drone attacks on U.S. troops in the region by Iran-backed militias. Recent drone strikes have targeted Americans in Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, the locations were used by the Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada groups, both of which are linked to Iran.

AOC Dismisses Concerns about Rising Crime in Cities: 'Hysteria'

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) claimed recently that concern over a recent surge in crime in U.S. cities is "hysteria."

"We are seeing these headlines about percentage increases," Ocasio-Cortez said during a virtual town hall on Friday, clips of which were shared online on Sunday.

"Now, I want to say that any amount of harm is unacceptable and too much, but I also want to make sure that this hysteria, you know, that this doesn't drive a hysteria and that we look at these numbers in context so that we can make responsible decisions about what to allocate in that context," she said during the discussion with Representative Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) on Zoom.

During the discussion, Ocasio-Cortez also agreed with Bowman that law enforcement should be defunded.

Former Attorney General William Barr Called Trump's Election-Fraud Claims 'Bulls**t': Report

Former attorney general William Barr reportedly said that he knew all along that former President Trump's claims of election fraud were "bulls**t," according to a new book.

ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl is set to release his book Betrayal in November. The book, excerpted in the Atlantic on Sunday, includes a series of interviews with the former attorney general on the final days of the Trump administration.

Barr reportedly discussed his decision to give prosecutors the go-ahead to investigate the fraud allegations and to launch his own unofficial probe into the claims.

"My attitude was: It was put-up or shut-up time," Barr reportedly told Karl.

"If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it. But my suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there. It was all bulls**t," Barr added.

National Archives' Racism Task Force Labels Own Rotunda Example of 'Structural Racism'

The National Archives' task force on racism claimed in a newly unearthed report that the agency's own rotunda housing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights is an example of "structural racism."

The report to the country's top librarian, which was released in April but resurfaced by Fox News on Sunday, also claimed that the Founding Fathers and other white historical figures are depicted too positively.

The task force was formed at the direction of National Archivist David Ferriero in response to the murder of George Floyd last year.

The group claims that structural racism "unequivocally impacts" how National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) employees approach each other, customers, and historical records.

Rob Portman: Trump 'Definitely the Leader of the Party'

Senator Rob Portman (R., Ohio) said Sunday that former President Trump is "definitely the leader" of the Republican party, given his "high popularity among the Republican base."

Portman's comments came during an appearance on ABC's This Week, one day after Trump held his first post-presidential rally in Ohio.

"That's what you saw last night, I think. You saw a big turnout," Portman said.

U.S. Government Releases Inconclusive Report on Unidentified Object Sightings, Doesn't Rule Out Aliens

A report released by the U.S. intelligence community and the Department of Defense on Friday examining "unidentified aerial phenomena" witnessed by U.S. military personnel in recent years found no evidence that the objects are of extraterrestrial origin.

However, the report, which was mandated by Congress, said the U.S. government can't explain 143 of the 144 cases of unidentified flying objects reported by military planes.

The one unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that the government was eventually able to identify was a large, deflating balloon, according to the report.

"The others remain unexplained," the report said.

Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Murder of George Floyd

Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd during his arrest in Minneapolis last year, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Friday.

Chauvin was found guilty in April of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

The former police officer is seen in a video of the arrest kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, persisting even after he became unconscious.

Georgia Secretary of State Predicts DOJ Lawsuit Will Further 'Destroy Voter Confidence'

The Department of Justice lawsuit challenging Georgia's allegedly discriminatory election integrity law will only exacerbate the public's lack of confidence in the voting system, Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger told National Review Friday.

The lawsuit, announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland Friday morning, alleges that Georgia's voting law, signed by Republican governor Brian Kemp in April, discriminates against the state's black voters — an argument Raffensperger called "offensive."

"People need to understand that progressives, particularly the ones at President Biden's Department of Justice have been trying to chip away at commonsense election reforms and election integrity measures that we've had in Georgia for decades," Raffensperger said.

Engineer Warned in 2018 of 'Major Structural Damage' at Florida Condo Complex

A consultant warned in 2018 of structural problems at a Florida condominium complex that partially collapsed on Thursday night, leaving at least four dead and 159 missing.

City officials in Surfside, Fla., released the 2018 report on damage to the Champlain Towers South complex on Friday evening. The report's author, engineer Frank Morabito, wrote of "major structural damage" to the concrete slab beneath the pool deck as well as "abundant" cracking in the columns, beams, and walls of the parking garage beneath the complex.

"Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion," Morabito wrote at the time. Morabito did not specifically warn that the building was in danger of impending collapse.

Louisiana Governor Vetoes Bill Allowing Concealed Carry without a Permit

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards (D.) has vetoed a bill that would allow state residents to carry concealed handguns without a permit.

Under the new bill, all residents age 21 or older would be allowed to carry a concealed gun without a permit provided that a resident is not prohibited from obtaining a handgun under any other state or federal law. Edwards, however, said he believes current law allows for "reasonable" permit practices.

"I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and an enthusiastic outdoorsman and hunter. But I simply cannot support carrying a concealed-carry firearm without proper education and safety training – and I believe the majority of Louisianans agree with me," Edwards said in a statement on Friday following the veto.

Johnson & Johnson Settles New York State Opioid Lawsuit ahead of Trial

Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to New York State, ahead of a trial pertaining to the opioid crisis set to begin on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The deal will keep Johnson & Johnson out of the trial in New York, which includes other makers of opioid prescription drugs, but will not remove the company from trials scheduled in other states.

Most U.S. states and over 3,000 counties, cities, and local governments have filed suit against drug makers in the wake of the crisis, including AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health Inc., and McKessen Corp. States are seeking a combined $26 billion from those three companies as well as Johnson & Johnson.