ATF moves to close ‘ghost guns’ loophole in federal rule
The Biden administration is closing a major loophole in a new federal rule intended to regulate the sale of pistol parts that can readily be turned into untraceable homemade firearms, in an aggressive expansion of the administration’s crackdown on so-called ghost guns. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives directed vendors who sell partially finished frames of Glock-style handguns — the pistol grip and firing mechanism — to treat them like fully completed firearms, which are subject to federal regulations. The move requires sellers to mark the parts with serial numbers and for buyers to undergo criminal background checks.
Bill forcing feds to fix prison cameras is signed into law
President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill requiring the federal Bureau of Prisons to overhaul outdated security systems and fix broken surveillance cameras. This comes after rampant episodes of staff sexual abuse, inmate escapes and high-profile deaths. The bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act, which passed the Senate last year and the House on Dec. 14, requires the Bureau of Prisons to evaluate and enhance security camera, radio and public address systems at its 122 facilities. The agency must submit a report to Congress within three months detailing deficiencies and a plan to make needed upgrades. Those upgrades are required within three years.
Military police enforce driving ban in snow-stricken Buffalo
Officials in New York say state and military police were sent to keep people from driving in snow-choked Buffalo. The Erie County executive said Tuesday that police are being positioned at entrances to Buffalo and at major intersections to enforce a ban on driving. Officials say more than 30 people died in the region. That’s in addition to about two dozen other deaths the huge storm caused around the country. And an emergency services commissioner in the Buffalo area says crews are keeping an eye on warmer weather forecast for later in the week that could bring a threat of flooding as the snow melts.
Co-leader of Whitmer kidnapping plot gets 16 years in prison
The co-leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Adam Fox’s sentence is the longest of anyone convicted in the plot so far, though it’s significantly shorter than the life sentence that prosecutors sought. Fox returned to federal court Tuesday, four months after he and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted of conspiracy charges. They were accused of organizing a wild plot to whip up anti-government extremists just before the 2020 presidential election. Whitmer wasn’t physically harmed. The FBI was secretly embedded in the group and broke things up with 14 arrests. The government said Fox urged recruits to take up arms and kidnap the governor.
Storm brings powerful winds, rain and snow to California
After avoiding the kind of weather that froze much of the rest of the nation over the holiday weekend, the first in a week of storms has brought powerful winds, rain and snow to California. The National Weather Service says there were numerous reports of roadway flooding and downed trees as the storm moved through the San Francisco Bay Area early Tuesday. Winter storm warnings are posted for the Sierra Nevada, where motorists are advised that travel can be hazardous. The National Weather Service says some Sierra ridgetop winds have hit 120 mph and backcountry avalanche warnings are in effect. The weather system is expected to reach the Los Angeles region by evening.
China races to vaccinate elderly, but many are reluctant
Chinese authorities are going door to door and paying people who are older than 60 to get vaccinated against COVID-19. But even as cases surge, 64-year-old Li Liansheng said his friends are alarmed by stories of fevers, blood clots and other side effects. Li, who had been vaccinated and later caught and recovered from COVID-19, said people “may not be willing to take the vaccines.” The government announced a campaign last month to raise the vaccination rate among older Chinese. Experts say that is crucial to avoiding a health care crisis and the biggest hurdle before the ruling Communist Party can lift the last of the world’s most stringent anti-virus restrictions.
SKorea military sorry for failing to down North’s drones
South Korea’s president has called for stronger air defenses and high-tech stealth drones while the military apologized for failing to shoot down North Korean drones that crossed the border for the first time in five years. South Korea’s military scrambled warplanes and attack helicopters on Monday, but they failed to bring down any of the North Korean drones that flew back home or disappeared from South Korean radars. It raised serious questions about South Korea’s air defense network at a time when tensions remain high over North Korea’s torrid run of missile tests this year. On Tuesday, South Korea’s military again launched fighter jets and attack helicopters after spotting suspicious flight paths at a front-line area. They turned out to be a flock of birds.
By wire sources
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