It's Been Reported

$30M Beverly Hills Mansion Owned By Kurdish General Caught In Military Fraud Scheme Faces Seizure (NY Post) — Federal authorities are trying to seize a palatial $30 million Beverly Hills mansion after filing a civil complaint alleging its Kurdish general owner defrauded the government to buy it. The property is owned by Mansour Barzani, who purchased it in 2018 and later renovated it for $30 million. The Department of Justice accuses Barzani of being involved in bribery scheme with a Virginia-based defense contractor that obtained more than $700 million from the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency for fuel deliveries in the U.S. fight against ISIS during Operation Inherent Resolve. Officers for the contractor used the government money to bribe Barzani for exclusive access to deliver jet fuel in Kurdistan for the U.S. military and coalition forces at Erbil International Airport. See full story	Congress Punts Reauthorization For Spy Program Another Six Weeks (Daily Caller) — Congress temporarily extended a spy tool granting the U.S. government the ability to surveil its citizens’ communications Thursday before it was set to expire at midnight. The legislation punts the decision on long-term reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to June 12, or approximately six weeks from publication. The House voted 261 to 111 in favor of the extension late in the afternoon, with 166 Republicans voting in favor and 26 against. Among Democrats, 94 voted yes while 85 voted no. The Senate voted in favor of punting the measure Thursday via voice vote before the House passed it, Politico reported. The move comes after President Donald Trump called for a “clean extension” of Section 702 on April 15. Under Section 702, the government can gather and search U.S. citizens’ data without a warrant if they had contact with noncitizens beyond America’s borders who the government was targeting. It assists with tracking foreign intelligence, dangers via cyber and terrorist activities, which has led to Americans’ data being collected as a byproduct. See full story
Jury Finds Terrorist Guilty Of Supporting ISIS-K In Abbey Gate Attack, Deadlocks On Role In Deaths (Just the News) — A Virginia jury on Wednesday found an Afghan national guilty of being part of a conspiracy to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist group ISIS-K that orchestrated the deadly 2021 suicide-bombing attack at the Kabul airport during the United States military's final withdrawal from the country. However, the jury deadlocked on the key question of whether defendant Mohammad Sharifullah's support for the terror group resulted in any of the deaths at the Abbey Gate bombing, in which 13 U.S. service members were killed. The Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing occurred at the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The blast killed 11 Marines, one Army soldier, one Navy corpsman and an estimated 170 Afghan civilians and injured dozens of others. The bomber, who detonated an explosive vest, has been identified as Abdul Rahman al-Logari. See full story	Maryland Supreme Court Strikes Down Local Gun Control Laws (Bearing Arms) — Gun owners have won a significant victory in Maryland, with the state Supreme Court tossing several gun control ordinances adopted by Montgomery County in the wake of the Bruen decision in 2022. Maryland legislators passed their own Bruen response bill after the state's "may issue" concealed carry permitting system was ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS, but Montgomery County's measures were even more restrictive. The Maryland Supreme Court opinion is thick with legalese and citations to various sections of code that can make it a little difficult to understand the scope of its decision, but the 2A group Maryland Shall Issue provided a succinct summary of the ruling on Tuesday evening. "The Supreme Court of Maryland issued its decision today in our challenge to the Montgomery County ordinance that basically banned carry by permit holders through out the County. On that issue we completely prevailed and the County lost." See full story
Google Co-Founder Rips California Billionaire Tax: 'I Fled Socialism' (Fox Business) — Google co-founder Sergey Brin slammed the proposed billionaire tax in California, likening it to the socialism that he fled with his family from the former Soviet Union. Brin is one of the billionaires who relocated out of the Golden State to avoid the potential wealth tax that's expected to appear on California voters' ballots this fall. The proposal would impose a one-time 5% tax on residents whose net worth exceeds $1 billion. Assets covered by the tax may include businesses, securities, art, collectibles, and intellectual property – though real property, pensions and certain retirement accounts would be exempt. "I fled socialism with my family in 1979 and know the devastating, oppressive society it created in the Soviet Union. I don't want California to end up in the same place," Brin said in a statement to the New York Times regarding a story by the outlet that discussed his move. See full story	Mamdani's Education Plan's 'Lack Of Merit' Could Fundamentally Change Student Outcomes: GOP Leader Warns NEW YORK, N.Y. (Fox News) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s education agenda might be the most concerning of his administration and would have a damaging impact, a local GOP leader told Fox News Digital, arguing that schools will be shifting away from merit-based achievement under Mamdani's tenure. Mamdani has proposed phasing out the city’s gifted and talented programs for younger students over inequity concerns, a move critics argue could limit academic opportunities for high performers from low-income families. "That's my biggest concern," Forte told Fox News Digital. "The lack of merit and the lack of competitiveness…is going to lead to test scores declining and the quality of our education declining significantly." Forte went on to caution that Mamdani and the people he appoints would "gut" the entire program. "He's going to gut the gifted and talented program. He said this already," he said. See full story
Police: Indiana Dem Candidate Arrested While High On Cocaine As He Canvassed Neighborhood (Western Journal) — A Democrat campaigning for state Senate in Indiana was charged with cocaine possession and resisting law enforcement after a confrontation with police officers on Sunday, with court documents noting he appeared high on drugs. Andrew Dezelan, 39, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate District 31 in an upcoming primary, but he’s now facing charges after police allegedly found cocaine in his car, according to WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. The incident took place about 8 p.m. in Fishers, a city about 30 miles north of Indianapolis, when Fishers police responded to a person “soliciting a neighborhood,” the station reported. Officers found Dezelan in his car at the neighborhood clubhouse. See full story	United Airlines Flight Reportedly Struck By A Drone At 3,000 Feet (Western Journal) — The flight crew of a United Airlines jet said that they hit a drone Wednesday on approach for a landing at San Diego International Airport. United Flight 1980, a Boeing 737 with 48 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, reported the incident shortly before 8:30 a.m., according to KNSD-TV. Audio posted to X by TheNewArea51 captured the report of the incident. “We hit a drone at around, probably around 3,000 feet,” a member of the flight crew said. “It was so small, I couldn’t tell,” the flight crew member said when asked for details. “It was red. It was shiny. I couldn’t tell with it.” See full story
Prep School Teacher Filmed Sex With Student She Was Tutoring: ‘Not My Best Thinking’ (NY Post) — A young Michigan prep school teacher has admitted having sex with a student she was tutoring at his home – a “disgusting” act she even filmed, calling it “not my best thinking.” Jocelyn Sanroman, now 27, of Pontiac, was sentenced to four to 15 years in prison on Tuesday after earlier pleading guilty to third-degree sexual conduct, FOX 2 Detroit reported. She was arrested after letting slip to a colleague nearly a year ago that she’d had sex with a 16-year-old male student she was tutoring in 2023, when she was also teaching at Oakside Prep Academy in Waterford Township. She was sentenced after Judge Cheryl Matthews expressed astonishment that she would film the illegal act. See full story	Pentagon Says U.S. Is Planning To Withdraw 5K Troops From Germany In Next Six To 12 Months (Just the News) — Defense officials said Friday that the United States' military is planning to pull 5,000 troops from Germany as the U.S. clashes with Europe over its handling of the regional conflict in the Middle East. Germany is crucial to the U.S.'s presence in Europe, with more than 35,000 troops currently stationed in the country. It is home to the largest U.S. military presence in Europe, but the United Kingdom and Italy also host over 10,000 U.S. troops each. The senior defense officials told reporters that some of the U.S. forces who are being moved out of Europe may return to the mainland and then be deployed abroad again, according to CBS News. The departure will not impact the transport of injured troops to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and the withdrawal will take place over the next six to 12 months, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said. See full story