Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 The Two Tennessee Lawmakers Expelled From Office Want To Be Reappointed
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet The Press” yesterday, former Tennessee state Representatives Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson both said they would accept reappointment to the state House seats they were expelled from last week after they led protest chants about gun control from the floor of the House chamber. The expulsions, approved by the Republican supermajority in the House, left around 140,000 voters in the Nashville and Memphis areas without representation in the House. The two men told Chuck Todd that they would accept reappointment, and at least one of them may see that happen today. A majority of the Nashville Metropolitan Council, who will appoint an interim representative to replace Jones, confirmed to NBC News that they would vote to appoint Jones back to his seat in a special meeting today.
2 Classified US Military Documents Were Found On A Minecraft Discord Server
A criminal investigation has been opened by the Department of Justice over a batch of what appears to be classified military documents that were posted online over the last few weeks. The documents appear to be on sensitive topics like ways Isreal could provide aid to Ukraine, intelligence about the United Arab Emirates’ ties to Russia, and South Korea providing ammo to the US for Ukraine. There’s still some question about whether or not the documents are real, but CNN says US officials have confirmed to them that at least some of them are authentic. Where were they posted? On a Discord channel devoted to Minecraft, and a lot of them had been there for a while. Aric Toler, a researcher at Bellingcat, told CNN the documents were “sitting in a Minecraft Discord server for a month and no one noticed.” A Discord user who posted photos of the documents on March 1st has apparently deleted their Twitter and Discord accounts.
3 Texas Governor Calls For Pardon Of Army Sergeant Convicted Of Killing A Protester
A Travis County jury found Army sergeant Daniel Perry guilty on Friday in the death of Garrett Foster in 2020. Police say Perry was driving in downtown Austin when he pulled up on demonstrators that included Foster. Perry told police that Foster had pointed his semi-automatic rifle at him and he fatally shot Foster with a handgun in self-defense from inside his vehicle, but the jury found him guilty of murder in the incident. He faces up to life in prison, but there may be a change in plans. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Saturday that he was working to secure a pardon for Perry, tweeting “I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.” In Texas, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles has to approve a pardon before the Governor can grant one, but Abbott says he’s already requested a review by the board.