3 Things To Know Today

1 Marines Arrested For Human Smuggling At Camp Pendleton

Officials have confirmed that 16 Marines at California's Camp Pendleton were pulled out of battalion formation and taken into custody by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service yesterday. Their alleged crimes range from drugs to human smuggling. The arrests come weeks after two other Marines at the base were arrested near the border by a Border Patrol agent after allegedly helping to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border into California. As for the drug charges, the exact nature of the allegations is unclear with investigators saying a number of Marines were "involved with illegal drugs." But the arrests may not be over. Officials say at least eight other Marines have been questioned about alleged drug offenses. According to the "San Diego Union-Tribune," The two Marines arrested earlier this month - Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero - are facing federal charges of transporting unauthorized immigrants for financial gain. Sources say the undocumented immigrants claimed they had paid $8-thousand to be smuggled into the U.S. Salazar-Quintero reportedly said he expected to be paid $500 for one of the pickups - but it's unclear if or how much he had been paid for that or any transport. “(The arrests) were a public display for the entire unit to see,” says division spokesman 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh. "1st Marine Division is committed to justice and the rule of law, and we will continue to fully cooperate with NCIS on this matter. Any Marines found to be in connection with these alleged activities will be questioned and handled accordingly with respect to due process."

2 Iran Test Fires Medium-Range Ballistic Missile

It appears Iran has test fired a medium-range ballistic missile that traveled more than 600 miles. “We are aware of reports of a projectile launched from Iran,” a senior administration official told Fox News last night. “And have no further comment at this time.” While the missile would not pose a threat to any shipping or U.S. bases in the region, it’s certainly an escalation in the tensions that have been rising for more than a month as there have been a number of encounters between Iran and the U.S. and its allies. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he’s asking allies for support, and in the meantime, willing to go to Iran. “Sure. If that’s the call, I’d happily go there,” he noted. “I would welcome the chance to speak directly to the Iranian people.”

3 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Election Security Measures

Former special counsel Robert Mueller issued a warning this week that the Russians are actively seeking to interfere once again in the U.S. elections and called for aggressive deterrence measures. Senate Democrats sought to pass multiple election security bills but they were met with opposition by Senator Mitch McConnell. Senator Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of "putting their heads in the sand," while McConnell accused the Democrats of trying to give themselves a "political benefit." "Mueller's testimony was a clarion call for election security," Schumer said. "Mueller's testimony should be a wake-up call to every American, Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative, that the integrity of our elections is at stake." But McConnell feels the Democrats were just trying to make political hay on the heels of the Mueller testimony in their attempt to bring up a House bill that would mandate the use of paper ballots in states' election systems and provide additional funding to the federal, nonpartisan Election Assistance Commission.


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