Summary List Placement

Ret. Army Ranger Dr. Tony Brooks, a US veteran who deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, said he knew the 20-year war was lost nearly a decade ago. 

But seeing the heartbreaking images coming from Kabul and listening to the punditry that has saturated the news cycle in recent days as the Taliban takes control of the country following the drawdown of US forces, hasn't made the outcome of Brooks' foresight any easier to swallow. 

"I've experienced every single emotion that you can have," he told Insider. "From anger, to sadness, to happiness that our troops are coming home, to disappointment, to abandonment."

"It's been a very emotional week for veterans, and anyone who served overseas, and anyone really, who cares about human rights," he added. 

Brooks watched in horror, along with the rest of the world, as the US-backed Afghan government collapsed in a matter of days following the US's withdrawal after 20 years in the country, allowing the Taliban to regain control with haste and ease. 

Brooks, now 38, was only a freshman in college when the September 11 attacks spurred his enlistment. Seeing the heartbreaking image of "The Falling Man" — a photograph of a man plummeting from the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks — awoke something within him.

"When I saw that, I knew I had to leave college to do something," he said. 

In 2005, he deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and later served two tours in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. 

But even after he returned home, Brooks said Afghanistan and its people remained close to his heart. The advancement of women's rights in the country became a point of passion for Brooks, who noted the harsh restrictions placed on women in the country the last time the Taliban took control in the 1990s.

"A lot of us are fearing them falling back into that," he said. "I think that's definitely what bothers me the most."

For fifteen years, Brooks kept in contact with his fellow service members and the Afghan people who aided America, including his former interpreter — a "big ol' guy" with a "kind soul" — who Brooks hasn't been able to reach for weeks.

"I'm not sure where he's at," he said. "I'm hoping he is safe."

It was about a month ago when the veteran community launched a concerted effort to try and assist past interpreters and assure their safe evacuation from the country, Brooks said, an indication that many in the military community saw the collapse coming. 

But while he's battled myriad emotions in recent days, Brooks says the most prominent one by far, has been anger. 

"I put [the blame] firmly on the politicians' shoulders," he said. "They're the ones who make the decisions on whether to start or end a war and they've all failed."

Over the years, Brooks said he became disillusioned by the US's involvement in the region as he watched his friends and former leaders die. 

"We were sent over there to fight a war we weren't allowed to win," he said. "We were walking around playing a game of Whack-a-Mole and we were only allowed to hit the mole when it popped up and shot at us."

While he hopes the "utter failure" of Afghanistan will prove a lesson for US politicians moving forward, Brooks said his primary concerns right now are protecting the people of Afghanistan and supporting his fellow veterans.

"We all have the same feelings. We're all angry, all upset," he said of service members. 

"I'm worried about the future of our veteran population right now," he added. "Seeing this over and over is not good. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How JFK customs searches 1 million packages a day for illegal items

Summary List Placement

The Texas House of Representatives officially met quorum Thursday night over a month after state House Democrats fled the state in an attempt to prevent a GOP voting law from passing.

The Texas Constitution states that each chamber of the legislature must have two-thirds of its members present to do business. Enough house Democrats walked out of the house chamber at the end of the regular legislative session in May to break the quorum and prevent a GOP voting bill from passing.

 

Gov. Greg Abbott declared a special legislative session soon after, but a large coalition of house Democrats had already fled from the state to Washington, DC, in July to petition congressional leaders into passing election reform to no avail. Still, it was enough to prevent the house from ever meeting quorum and passing legislation in the first special session.

Abbott began a second special session on August 7, leading Speaker of the House Dade Phelan to issue a "Call of the House" order commanding representatives to return to the chamber at risk of detainment. No Democrats were ever arrested and each reentered the chamber of their own volition.

Now that a quorum in the house has been restored, the state legislature will begin debating and voting on legislation that fits Abbott's second session agenda which includes:

• Election and voting reform
  
  • Prohibits drive-through voting
  • Bans 24-hour voting sites
  • Prevents counties from sending out absentee ballots without a request
  • Lowers the threshold to overturn and challenge election results
• Banning transgender children from playing on a school sports team that corresponds with their gender identity
• Banning critical race theory from being taught 
• Re-funding the legislature and legislative staff 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Sneaky ways stores like H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo get you to spend more money on clothes

Summary List Placement

Around two dozen State Department officials warned last month that the US-backed Afghan government could collapse soon after the August 31 withdrawal of American forces, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The July 13 cable was sent via the department's dissent channel, where diplomats are invited to share constructive criticism of US policy, The Journal reported.

Although US intelligence had determined the Afghan government's grip on power was tenuous, few — dissenters included — expected it would fall even before US soldiers left the country. The sudden collapse, which saw the Taliban take over the capital, Kabul, this week, left thousands of US citizens and many more vulnerable Afghans stranded.

According to The Journal, the dissent cable had "offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation."

Ned Price, a spokesperson for the department, told Insider that each cable sent through the dissent channel is read by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"We value constructive internal dissent. It's patriotic. It's protected. And it makes us more effective," Price said. He did not comment on the contents of the dispatch itself.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why scorpion venom is the most expensive liquid in the world

Summary List Placement

An ally of former President Donald Trump who has been trying to bring an Arizona-style "forensic audit" to Pennsylvania says he's been thwarted by "the powers that be."

Earlier this summer, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano sent letters to three Pennsylvania counties demanding materials related to the 2020 election. That came after the lawmaker endorsed a campaign led by QAnon conspiracy theorists to pursue a statewide "audit" over claims that China rigged the election for President Joe Biden — a campaign thus far rejected by Pennsylvania's GOP leaders.

Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes in what state and national officials, including those who worked for the Trump administration, described as an election that was "the most secure in American history."

In a video streamed on Facebook, Mastriano indicated Thursday that Republican leaders were standing in the way of his go-it-alone audit and blocking him from issuing subpoenas to elections officials in York, Philadelphia, and Tioga counties, all of whom have refused to comply with his previous requests. Local radio station WHYY suggested he needs quorum for his committee to meet.

"The powers that be made sure that didn't happen," Mastriano said in the video, as reported by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Mastriano is chair of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, which has subpoena power but does not oversee elections, the newspaper noted.

"I would say we're not in a very good spot right now," the lawmaker said in the video, which has since been deleted. "I put my name out there to get it done and I've been stopped for the time being."

Mastriano — who paid for buses to bring protesters to Washington, DC, on January 6 — added that he had "burned a lot of bridges," but also asserted that this latest obstacle was only a "momentary impediment."

Mastriano also claimed he had been the victim of "betrayal" from the leaders of the Audit the Vote PA, the group that has sought a statewide review, the Capital-Star reported. Its founders have promoted conspiracy theories such as PizzaGate, falsely accusing Democrats of running pedophile rings.

"I've warned these ladies — don't let it get to your head. Watch out for pride. Remember those who helped you get there," he said.

The cause, at least for now, "is weakened and diminished," he said.

The senator did not respond to a request for comment.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How the 1999 Russian apartment bombings led to Putin's rise to power

Summary List Placement

A photojournalist was assaulted by a Taliban fighter while reporting on Afghanistan Independence Day protests in Kabul on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

LA Times photographer Marcus Yam has been reporting on the scene in Kabul after the fall of the capital to Taliban forces over the weekend.

On Thursday, Afghans crowded in the streets to protest the new Taliban regime as well as celebrate Afghanistan Independence Day. Armed Taliban fighters monitored the gatherings in an attempt to quell dissent.

"Around 200 Afghans rally and march towards Pashtunistan Square in Kabul with the Republic's national flags and banners, chanting: "Death to Pakistan," "God Bless Afghanistan," "Long Live the National Flag of Afghanistan," Yam tweeted earlier Thursday.

According to the LA Times report, a group of Taliban militants pointed their guns at a group of Afghans attempting to raise the traditional flag of Afghanistan instead of the white Taliban banner.

Yam attended the protests to photograph the scene when he was punched in the side of the head by a Taliban fighter, the LA Times reported.

"The fighter continued to beat Yam and another photographer working for a major US newspaper and then to demand they erase the images they had shot," citing the report, adding that "Yam said at one point he was on his knees urging the armed fighter not to hurt him."

According to the report, Yam and the other unnamed photojournalist were held by Taliban militants for about 20 minutes. An English-speaking Taliban fighter later approached and asked the men who they worked for and attempted to defuse the situation, "aware that attacking Western media was not in keeping with the image that the Taliban leadership is trying to project."

"He offered the photographers an energy drink and released them," the report said.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Times said the publication had nothing further to comment beyond the reporting included in the article.

Entertainment journalist Amy Kaufman of the LA Times tweeted her well-wishes to Yam as he continues to report on the new Taliban rule amid the risks and dangers that come with the job.

"Our incredible photographer @yamphoto is in Kabul, literally risking his life to document the news," Kaufman wrote. "We're all thinking of you, Marcus."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How JFK customs searches 1 million packages a day for illegal items

Summary List Placement

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert revealed this week that her husband earned nearly a million dollars over 2019 and 2020 for consulting work he did for an energy firm. 

The freshman Colorado congresswoman failed to disclose her husband's income, which was $478,000 in 2020 and $460,000 in 2019, during her campaign last year, the Associated Press first reported. This failure is a violation of ethics and campaign finance laws, which require candidates to disclose their spouse's and children's income or assets. 

"It is not common for members to not disclose their spouse's income because it's just a very clear requirement under the law," Kedric Payne, senior director of ethics for the Campaign Legal Center, told Insider. 

In her 2020 financial disclosure statement, Boebert said her income came from a restaurant, Shooters Grill, and smokehouse she owns with her husband, Jayson. She also listed "Boebert Consulting — spouse" and recorded her husband's source of income as "N/A," according to the AP. 

Payne said Boebert should provide a "very public explanation" of the discrepancy. He expects the Office of Congressional Ethics will open an inquiry if they have questions about whether the violation was intentional. The required disclosures are designed to ensure that the public can evaluate a candidate's potential conflicts of interest.

The energy industry is a major player in Colorado's vast 3rd Congressional District and Boebert, who sits on the House Natural Resources Committee, has taken aggressively pro-oil and -gas positions. She introduced legislation earlier this year seeking to reverse President Joe Biden's ban on oil and gas leasing and permitting on some federally-owned land. 

Her deputy chief of staff, Ben Stout, told the AP that Jayson Boebert "has worked in energy production for 18 years and has had Boebert Consulting since 2012."

But Boebert Consulting hasn't filed required regular reports to the state of Colorado and is classified as delinquent, The Washington Post reported. And there is no company called Terra Energy Productions registered in Colorado. There is a Texas firm called Terra Energy Partners, claiming to be "one of the largest producers of natural gas in Colorado." The congresswoman has previously said her husband is a drilling foreman on a natural gas rig and posted an Instagram photo of him wearing a "Terra" helmet in September 2020. 

It's unclear whether the congresswoman's failure to disclose her husband's work and income was intentional or accidental, but the matter could be investigated by congressional ethics officials. 

Boebert's office didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.

On Wednesday, the Federal Election Commission sent Boebert a letter demanding more information about four payments amounting to more than $6,000 that Boebert's campaign paid the congresswoman between May 3 and June 3. Stout told CNBC "the Venmo charges were personal expenses that were billed to the campaign account in error" and that Boebert has already reimbursed her campaign. 

"If it is determined that the disbursement(s) constitutes the personal use of campaign funds, the Commission may consider taking further legal action," Shannon Ringgold, an FEC analyst, wrote.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why some Coca-Cola bottles have a yellow cap

Summary List Placement

Three senators, who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, announced on Thursday that they've tested positive for COVID-19.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, and Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado revealed their positive diagnoses in statements from their offices.

Wicker and Hickenlooper reported experiencing mild symptoms of the virus. King said that he'd been "mildly feverish."

King and Hickenlooper lauded the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraged people to get the shot if they had not already.

"While I am not feeling great, I am definitely feeling much better than I would have without the vaccine," King, 77, said in a statement.

Hickenlooper, 69, echoed the sentiment.

"I'm grateful for the vaccine (and the scientists behind it) for limiting my symptoms," he said.

The senators said they are self-isolating and following the medical advice of their doctors. 

The breakthrough infections come as the Senate is out of session this week. Senators left for recess following extensive legislative debate to advance Democrats' $3.5 trillion social infrastructure package. The chamber is due to return on September 13.

Earlier this month, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina became the first fully-vaccinated senator to publicly report a breakthrough infection.

The Republican lawmaker recovered from mild symptoms and returned to the Senate after quarantining for 10 days. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why scorpion venom is the most expensive liquid in the world

Summary List Placement

A series of for-profit colleges have shut down in recent years amid accusations of fraud, mismanagement, and misleading students into taking on student debt they can't pay off. A top Democrat wants to make these schools' executives pay.

On Monday, House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott wrote a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging him to hold owners, board members, and executives of now-defunct for-profit schools "individually responsible" for money the schools owe to the federal government. 

"Given the substantial burden that is currently being borne by students and taxpayers when for-profit and converted for-profit institutions collapse, it is clear the Department has a responsibility to pursue any and all legal avenues available to recoup money that was allocated through financial aid programs," Scott wrote.

After major for-profit chains, notably including Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institutes, shut down, students and taxpayers had to pay the closure costs — not the people who ran the school.

Scott highlighted actions the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken, like bringing ITT to court in 2015 for deceiving investors about high rates of late payment and defaults on student loan, but he noted that SEC penalties have been narrow, and the Education Department can do more given its authority under the Higher Education Act — including making them pay for the debt students had to take on.

Last year, Student Defense, which advocates for students' rights, released a report detailing how executives can be held accountable under the Higher Education Act, and Dan Zibel, author of the report and Vice President of Student Defense, wrote on Twitter on Thursday that "too many predatory colleges have profited from fleecing students & bilking taxpayers."

 

Since 2015, more than 200,000 defrauded students filed claims for a complete discharge of their loans in a process known as the "borrower defense to repayment." This methodology, approved by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, compared the median earnings of graduates with debt-relief claims to the median earnings of graduates in comparable programs. The bigger the difference, the more relief the applicant would receive.

But compared to a 99.2% approval rate for defrauded claims filed under President Barack Obama, DeVos had a 99.4% denial rate for borrowers and ran up a huge backlog of claims from eligible defrauded borrowers seeking student debt forgiveness, which is why Cardona reversed that policy to start giving borrowers defrauded by for-profit schools the relief they qualify for.

Scott's letter is the second asking the Education Department to hold for-profit education executives accountable. In October 2020, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren led five of her Democratic colleagues in pushing for the department to use all the legal tools at its disposal to hold executives of the for-profits that "defrauded students personally, financially accountable."

The lawmakers wrote the department's failure to enforce accountability "has also encouraged future lawbreaking by executives who feel confident they can enrich themselves at the expense of students and taxpayers without consequence." 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why I'm throwing away every plastic thing in my kitchen ASAP

Summary List Placement

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a Republican from Tennessee, failed to properly disclose more than 700 stock trades that together are worth at least $728,000 — and as much as $10.9 million, according to an Insider analysis of newly filed congressional records.

Harshbarger's late disclosures involved stock trades by herself and her husband, Robert Harshbarger, between early January and June. Those trades involved the stock of dozens of companies, some of which vie for federal government contracts or spend six or seven figures each year to lobby for favorable laws and regulations. 

The companies include Facebook, Walmart, Apple, Verizon Communications, Coca-Cola, the oil giant Chevron, and the defense contractors Raytheon Technologies Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp., federal records indicate. 

Harshbarger, a first-term lawmaker and member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, also traded what could be tens of thousands of dollars' worth of shares in Chegg Inc., an education-technology company. 

The Harshbargers also bought or sold stock in Johnson & Johnson, a leading COVID-19 vaccine maker, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures a leading COVID-19 treatment involving monoclonal antibodies.

In 2013, Robert Harshbarger was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and slapped with a restitution bill of $848,504 and a $25,000 criminal fine for distributing knock-off Chinese-made drugs not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to kidney-dialysis patients in Kansas.

By federal law, members of Congress have 30 days from when they become aware of a stock trade — and 45 days overall from the date of a trade — to formally disclose it in a certified report to the clerk of the House of Representatives. 

Lawmakers are required to report the values of their stock trades only in broad ranges, and all of Harshbarger's individual trades fell within the $1,001 to $15,000 range.

Harshbarger's tardy reporting could prompt an ethics investigation or fine, which starts at $200.

In a statement to Insider, Harshbarger's chief of staff, Zac Rutherford, said that the congress member in December retained legal counsel to ensure compliance with all House Committee on Ethics guidelines and reporting requirements.

That counsel "established a system and protocols with the congresswoman's personal financial planner who provided assurance of familiarity and experience with all processes and requirements." The financial planner managed the congresswoman's portfolio "without any authorization, direction, or approval from Congresswoman Harshbarger."

"The financial advisor did not follow the established system and protocols," Rutherford said. "When the financial advisors' gross oversight was discovered, it became immediately clear that he was not familiar, and his error caused the congresswoman not to meet reporting requirements within the specified timeframe."

Rutherford added: "Harshbarger and our counsel immediately worked to rectify by self-reporting to the Committee and worked with it to file all necessary paperwork.

"Congresswoman Harshbarger, despite her best efforts to remain compliant, accepts full responsibility and has taken the appropriate steps to ensure this never happens again."

The STOCK Act holds members of Congress personally responsible for complying with disclosure rules, regardless of whether they make stock trades themselves or use a financial advisor or broker. 

Kedric Payne, the general counsel and senior ethics director for the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, said the Office of Congressional Ethics "should investigate" whether the lawmaker intentionally hid the trades for months. 

"This is yet another example of a lawmaker ignoring the STOCK Act by failing to report a large volume of stock trades without consequence," Payne said.

Following publication of this article, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Harshbarger with the Office of Congressional Ethics and requested an investigation.

Numerous STOCK Act violations in 2021

Insider and other news organizations have this year reported numerous examples of federal lawmakers violating the STOCK Act. The 2012 law was designed to combat insider trading among elected officials and require lawmakers to be transparent about their personal financial dealings. 

In addition to Harshbarger, lawmakers who this year appear to have violated the STOCK Act's transparency provisions include:

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat of California
• Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican of Alabama
• Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican of Kentucky
• Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat of New Jersey
• Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican of Texas
• Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican of Texas
• Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat of New York
• Rep. Blake Moore, a Republican of Utah
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat of Florida
• Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat of Florida
• Rep. Lori Trahan, a Democrat of Massachusetts
• Rep. Steve Chabot, a Republican of Ohio
• Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat of Illinois
• Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican of Texas

Former Rep. Harley Rouda, a Democrat of California who's attempting a comeback, also failed to properly disclose stock trades.

Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat of Florida, likewise appears to have violated the STOCK Act with disclosures a few days late, though her office has disputed that.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why some Coca-Cola bottles have a yellow cap

Summary List Placement

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is a family man.

He lists his role as a father and husband before his job in his Twitter bio. When he took heat in February for flying to Cancun as his home state was being pummeled by a winter storm, Cruz's defense was he was trying "to be a good dad" when his daughters asked for the trip. Text messages later revealed that Cruz's wife, Heidi Cruz, was urging her friends to book rooms at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun.

Cruz looks out for his cousins, too, offering them work in his Senate office and campaigns, Insider has learned.

Cruz employed the daughter of his first cousin in his Senate office as a paid press assistant and gave his cousin's son a coveted Senate internship. Cruz put his cousin on the payroll for his 2016 presidential campaign and later for his Senate campaign, records show.

Federal law bars members of Congress and other government officials from hiring close relatives — including first cousins — for paid, taxpayer-funded posts.

Cruz did not violate the letter of this anti-nepotism law, ethics experts told Insider. But "hiring of the first cousin's child would just miss the law by a nose," said Craig Holman, a government-ethics lobbyist at the watchdog group Public Citizen.

"We expect our elected officials to act with integrity and to be mindful of how the taxpayer's money is being spent," said Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "It looks like basically the taxpayer is subsidizing the training of his relatives."

Asked for comment about hiring his cousins, Cruz's spokeswoman, Erin Perrine, said in an email, "Classic fake news."

Perrine added: "As the experts you spoke to all agreed, the law is clear, and the senator has appropriately met all of his legal and ethics requirements and is in complete compliance. And attacking two young Baylor graduates, for working as an unpaid intern and as a junior staffer, is exactly the kind of political slime job that makes people so disgusted with the corrupt corporate media."

Cruz family ties

Audrey Sol Loyola served as a press assistant and staff assistant in Cruz's Washington, DC, office from June 2019 until August 2020, according to her LinkedIn page and the congressional database LegiStorm. She earned about $40,000 during that time, records show. Loyola's LinkedIn page says she is now a communications manager at Mercury One Inc., a nonprofit launched by conservative news host and commentator Glenn Beck.

Loyola's mother, Beatriz Bous Loyola, is Cruz's first cousin. Cruz is close to their family; he celebrated Audrey Sol's college graduation in May 2019 and spent the day with her and her father at a Six Flags theme park in July.

Lawmakers hiring the child of a cousin to work in their office "violates the spirit of the law, but the enumeration of who is and is not covered renders this act of nepotism as not a violation of the letter of the law," Holman told Insider.

Audrey Sol's brother, Diego Loyola, interned in Cruz's Senate office from July to August 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile. He said he worked with Cruz on his staff on memos and briefings, made calls to constituents, and gave tours of the US Capitol.

Audrey Sol and Diego both appeared along with other Cruz family members in some awkward raw footage of a presidential campaign ad that CNN uncovered in 2015. The footage features Cruz coaching his relatives and occasionally getting frustrated with them as they try to project an image of a made-for-TV family.

Cruz also paid his cousin, Beatriz Bous Loyola, from the payroll of his presidential and Senate campaigns, federal campaign finance records show. She was paid $27,000 from his presidential campaign in 2015 and 2016, records show, and another $20,000 by his Senate campaign in 2017. Her mother and Cruz's father are siblings.

Cruz's office did not respond to specific questions about Loyola's title and duties on the campaigns.

It's not illegal — or even abnormal — for political candidates to pay family members from their coffers. By June 2020, the reelection campaigns of at least 14 members of Congress had paid more than $15,000 each in wages to their relatives, OpenSecrets reported.

Former President Donald Trump hired his daughter and son-in-law for top jobs in the White House, although they declined government salaries.

Ethics experts have also raised concerns about the children of President Joe Biden's senior aides working in the White House.

"Any time you have relatives working in an office, they have access that's different" from that of their colleagues. Canter said. "It's a practice that should be discouraged" and one that undermines "people's confidence in the operations of government."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why I'm throwing away every plastic thing in my kitchen ASAP

Summary List Placement

Capitol Police investigated a report of an explosive device outside the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, on Thursday. A suspect surrendered to law-enforcement officials at about 2:20 p.m. and was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff, the police said.

Officers evacuated the area around the building, near the US Capitol and the Supreme Court, shortly after 9 a.m. in response to what they said was a suspicious device in a pickup truck.

"This is an active bomb threat investigation," the Capitol Police tweeted at about 10:30 a.m. "Please continue to avoid the area around the Library of Congress."

The Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the FBI assisted. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she'd been briefed on the situation and advised people to avoid the area.

Law-enforcement officials had told The Associated Press they were determining whether the device in the truck was an "operable explosive" and whether the man was holding a detonator.

Officials told NBC News they had not identified anything resembling an explosive device in the truck. They told NBC the driver had said he had explosives and was writing on a dry-erase board to communicate with officials.

"Around 9:15 this morning, a man in a black pickup truck drove onto the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress," Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a news conference at about noon.

"We responded to a disturbance call," Manger said. "The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb and what appeared, the officer said, appeared to be a detonator in the man's hand."

Manger added: "We're trying to get as much information as we can to find a way to peacefully resolve this. We are in communication with the suspect."

Manger said officials had not determined a motive. Law-enforcement officials identified the suspect as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, believed to be from Grover, North Carolina.

The man had livestreamed himself on Facebook expressing anti-government views, officials and reporters said, but the video and his account appeared to have been taken down on Thursday. "I'm ready to die for the cause," he said in a clip that HuffPost's Ryan Reilly tweeted.

Capitol Police set up a perimeter around the Capitol, and congressional staffers were asked to shelter in their offices. The Cannon House Office Building and the Library of Congress' Jefferson and Madison buildings were evacuated, Capitol Hill reporters said.

Congress is not in session this week, meaning most lawmakers are not in the city, though people are still working in the buildings.

"Due to the nature of the incident, this will likely be a prolonged law enforcement response," the House's sergeant-at-arms, William Walker, told staffers.

The Republican National Committee building near the Capitol was evacuated as well, The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey reported. The Supreme Court was evacuated, CNN said.

Washington, DC, has been on high alert since rioters stormed the Capitol complex on January 6, resulting in numerous injuries and several deaths.

That day, two pipe bombs were found outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees. No one got hurt, though the identity of the person who planted the devices remains unknown, and the FBI has called on the public to come forward with details.

This story is developing and will continue to be updated.

Join the conversation about this story »

Summary List Placement

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh confirmed on Thursday that President Joe Biden won't extend unemployment benefits beyond September 6. But at the same time, they encouraged states to keep helping unemployed people beyond that date.

Walsh and Yellen wrote a letter to the House and Senate finance committee chairs with an update on where unemployment benefits stand. While they said benefits will expire on Labor Day "as planned," they also noted that Biden encourages states to make use of funds allocated from his American Rescue Plan to continue helping unemployed people after the benefits expire nationwide.

"Now, in states where a more gradual wind down of income support for unemployed workers makes sense based on local economic conditions, American Rescue Plan funds can be activated to cover the cost of providing assistance to unemployed workers beyond September 6th," they wrote.

States received $350 billion from Biden's stimulus plan, and given the rise of the Delta variant, which could jeopardize people's return to work, further aid might be necessary.

Specifically, Yellen and Walsh wrote the Treasury Department is encouraging states to use the stimulus to provide additional support for workers whose benefits expire on September 6 and for workers outside of regular state unemployment programs, and the Labor Department will communicate to states how they can use their "existing UI (unemployment insurance) infrastructure" to support the benefits.

After a weak April jobs report, 25 GOP-led states — and one governed by a Democrat, Louisiana — moved to end unemployment benefits early for their residents because they believed the benefits disincentivized work. According to an analysis from the left-leaning People's Policy Project, over 20 million Americans will lose their benefits when the September expiration rolls around.

Despite ending the benefits, Yellen and Walsh wrote Biden still wants unemployment insurance reform to be included in Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which recently passed the Senate.

"The President has already laid out his principles for such reform: he believes a 21st century UI system should prevent fraud, promote equitable access, ensure timeliness of benefits, provide adequate support to the unemployed, and automatically expand benefits in a recession," they wrote.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Where you should go to stay safe during an earthquake

Summary List Placement

Protests defying Taliban rule spread to cities across Afghanistan on Thursday.

According to Reuters, witnesses said several people were killed when Taliban fighters opened fire on a crowd in Asadabad, in the eastern province of Kunar.  

"Hundreds of people came out on the streets," witness Mohammed Salim told the news outlet.

In Jalalabad, witnesses and media said militants also fired at protesters and killed three, according to the report.   

"Salute those who carry the national flag and thus stand for dignity of the nation," said Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan's former vice president, who declared himself the acting president of the country after former president Ashraf Ghani fled, the report said.  

The protests come as many across the country celebrate Afghanistan's Independence Day on Thursday, where crowds in Kabul waved the country's black, red and green flag in the face of Taliban soldiers, who use a white and black flag. 

A crowd of men and women waving the national flag in Kabul was seen in videos on social media chanting, "Our flag, our identity," Reuters said. 

The militant group, however, used the day to declare the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the same name it used during its harsh regime from 1996 to 2001.

Trying to rebrand, the Taliban have sought to ensure people that they are more moderate and less violent than they were in the past, though the claims have been met with significant skepticism. 

During a Wednesday protest in Jalalabad, militants opened fire on a protest, killing several. Just the day before, a Taliban spokesperson promised no one in Afghanistan would be harmed. 

Scenes of protest and defiance in some cities were matched by scenes of fear and desperation outside the Kabul airport, where massive crowds attempt to make it onto a civilian or military evacuation flight.  

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How JFK customs searches 1 million packages a day for illegal items

Summary List Placement

As part of his American Rescue Plan, President Joe Biden extended $300 weekly unemployment benefits through September 6. Top officials in his administration confirmed on Thursday that he won't be extending the benefits any further.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh wrote a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate finance committees with an update on where unemployment benefits stand. They wrote that although the weekly benefits have been a "critical lifeline" for millions of unemployed Americans, a further extension of the benefits —  which some Democrats have been pushing for — is off the table.

"The temporary $300 boost in benefits will expire on September 6th, as planned," Yellen and Walsh wrote. "As President Biden has said, the boost was always intended to be temporary and it is appropriate for that benefit boost to expire."

However, the officials noted that even as the economy is recovering from the pandemic and payrolls are being added to the labor market, unemployed people may still require financial assistance, and the Delta variant could bring economic setback, as well.

That's why they said the Labor and Treasury Departments will take the following steps to help those are unemployed:

1. The Treasury is reaffirming that states can use what they received from the $350 billion in stimulus aid to provide additional support for unemployed people beyond the expiration of the benefits;
2. Labor will communicate with states on how they can best use their "existing UI (unemployment insurance) infrastructure" to support state-funded benefits using stimulus funds;
3. And Labor is announcing $47 million in new grants to support reemployment services for all Americans.

Yellen and Marsh also wrote the pandemic has exposed "serious problems" in the UI system that requires reform, which is why Biden is asking Congress to consider long-term reform of UI in Senate Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.

"The President has already laid out his principles for such reform: he believes a 21st century UI system should prevent fraud, promote equitable access, ensure timeliness of benefits, provide adequate support to the unemployed, and automatically expand benefits in a recession," they wrote.

After a weak April jobs report, 25 GOP-led states — and one governed by a Democrat, Louisiana — moved to end unemployment benefits early for their residents because they believed the benefits disincentivized work. According to an analysis from the left-leaning People's Policy Project, over 20 million Americans will lose their benefits when the September expiration rolls around.

Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig and Juliana Kaplan reported that the Delta variant has people begging for more benefits, given that the variant could jeopardize the return to work. But even before Yellen and Walsh's announcement, moderate Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia told Insider he would not support a further extension of the benefits in a reconciliation bill, suggesting a slim likelihood of it passing through Congress.

"I'm done with extensions," he said. "The economy is coming back."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why I'm throwing away every plastic thing in my kitchen ASAP

Summary List Placement

A Colorado man who said he traveled to Afghanistan to help his sick father described in an interview with a local news station how a soldier attacked him amid this week's chaos at the airport in Kabul.

Haroon Zarify told Denver7 that he went to Kabul with his family so that he could take his father, who is sick, to India.

"Some people think we went for vacation, that we deserve this," Zarify said.

Zarify said he and his family made their way to the airport after Taliban forces began entering the city. Videos have shown people storming the tarmac at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in recent days to try and board planes as they leave the country.

Amid that chaos, Zarify was attacked by a soldier, he told Denver7. It's unclear which forces the soldier was with.

"He broke my phone because I was checking a video, he just crushed and hit it on the ground," Zarify told the news station. "Then he kicked me and I was like 'OK, I can't do anything.'"

He added that he didn't feel safe enough to tell the soldier he was a permanent American resident because of the crowds around him.

"I cannot tell them I am an American and I'm a permanent resident of America," Zarify said. "I cannot say that because there's a lot of people around me, how do I know who they are? So, it's about the trust. I cannot trust anyone."

President Joe Biden on Wednesday defended the US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, telling ABC News' George Stephanopoulos there was no way to pull troops out without "ensuing chaos." He also said Wednesday that US forces may stay in Afghanistan longer than the August 31 withdrawal deadline to help Americans leave the country. 

Zarify begged the Biden administration to help his family flee the country, telling Denver7 that he has been trying to talk to someone about helping his family evacuate, but hasn't able to reach anyone for two days. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why scorpion venom is the most expensive liquid in the world

Summary List Placement

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, has tested positive for the disease, according to a spokesman

"Senator Wicker tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after immediately seeking a test due to mild symptoms. Senator Wicker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is in good health, and is being treated by his Tupelo-based physician," said Phillip Waller, the senator's communications director, in a statement. "He is isolating, and everyone with whom Senator Wicker has come in close contact recently has been notified."

Wicker is the second US senator to disclose a "breakthrough" infection, following Lindsey Graham's diagnosis on August 3.

Meanwhile the pandemic continues to worsen in Wicker's home state of Mississippi; according to the New York Times COVID-19 tracking page, Mississippi currently has the highest per-capita case rate of COVID-19, with 118 cases per 100,000 residents. 

Just 36% of Mississippians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the second-lowest rate for a US state, except for Alabama.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Where you should go to stay safe during an earthquake

Summary List Placement

Shortly after departure from New York on May 24, a JetBlue passenger was accused of throwing his carry-on luggage, lying down in the aisle and refusing to get up, and grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and sticking his head up her skirt.

After the crew restrained him with zip-ties, the plane made an emergency landing in Richmond, Virginia, where he was removed.

He may be fined $45,000, according to the latest announcement of proposed civil penalties released today from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Read more: A drone CEO says the FAA could finally clear the way for drone deliveries to your front door in the next 12 months

The JetBlue passenger was just one of 34 against whom the FAA proposed fines against on Thursday for a total of $531,545, bringing the total for 2021 to more than $1 million.

The FAA report is a litany of the antisocial behavior that flight crews across the US have been tasked with managing during an already difficult year.

Another JetBlue passenger on a cross-country flight was accused of refusing to comply with the mask mandate, assaulting passengers, and snorting "what appeared to be cocaine from a plastic bag" before the flight was diverted to Minneapolis, where he was removed by law enforcement. He received a $42,000 fine.

While the vast majority of incidents were with male passengers, some women behaved badly too. One woman was accused of intentionally bumping into a seated passenger, then punching that passenger in the face when they protested.

Another woman was accused of throwing corn nuts at passengers and crew and shoving her middle fingers in the faces of crew members who asked her to stop.

Several passengers received $13,000 fines for incidents that included their refusal to stop drinking alcohol that the airline did not serve them.

On an Alaskan Airlines flight, one man was alleged to have harassed the crew and "acted as though his hand was a gun and made a 'pew-pew' noise as if he was shooting a fellow passenger." He was kicked off the flight and received a $10,000 fine.

Interfering with aircraft crew is against Federal law, as is physically assaulting or threatening assault crew or anyone else on an aircraft. Penalties can include fines and prison time if a person is found guilty. Passengers have 30 days to respond after the agency notifies them of an enforcement decision.

The FAA said it had received nearly 4,000 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including nearly 3,000 passengers refusing to wear a mask properly.

Flight attendants from several major US carriers previously told Insider's Allana Akhtar that they'd experienced increased levels of aggression from passengers this year. Others report having been punched, groped, spat at, and verbally abused by passengers for doing their jobs.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We visited the Vespa headquarters in Italy to see how the world-famous scooters are made

Summary List Placement

Forty-five million Americans have a $1.7 trillion student-debt burden in the country. And many of them, alongside Democrats and advocates, want President Joe Biden to forgive $50,000 of their debt.

He hasn't done that yet, but the president has taken steps to lessen the burden and provide relief during the pandemic.

As one of his first actions in office, Biden extended the pause on student-loan payments through September, coupled with zero growth in interest, to ensure borrowers suffering financially would not have to worry about paying off their loans. That is now running through January 2022.

Since then, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has cancelled student debt for borrowers with disabilities and borrowers defrauded by for-profit schools. He's also started conducting reviews of student loan forgiveness programs that don't work as they should.

But Democrats want Biden to do more.

They have been keeping the pressure on the president to cancel $50,000 in student debt per person using his executive authority. Biden has expressed hesitancy to do so, and although he has asked the Education and Justice Departments to review his executive abilities to wipe out that debt, Democrats remain adamant that he can, and should, cancel student debt immediately with the flick of a pen.

"Student loan cancellation could occur today," Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told Insider. "The president just needs to sign a piece of paper canceling that debt. It doesn't take any act of Congress or any amendment to the budget."

Detailed below is everything Biden has done to date to confront the student debt crisis:

Extended the pause on student-loan payments

On his first day in office, Biden asked the Education Department to extend the pause on federal student loan payments through September 30, following Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' extension of it through the end of January 2020. This was accompanied by a 0% interest rate during that time period.

National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said at the time that the extension would alleviate burdens on many households. "In this moment of economic hardship, we want to reduce the burden of these financial trade-offs," Deese said.

This extension, however did not apply to the more than 7 million borrowers with loans held by private companies. 

In August, nearly two months before the pause was set to expire, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the pause would be extended through January 31, 2022. This is the fourth extension of the pause during the pandemic, and Cardona said in a statement that it will be the "final" one.

"The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed million of Americans to focus on their families, health, and finances  instead of student loans during the national emergency," Cardona said.

The announcement of the extension was welcomed by many Democrats and advocacy groups who have been pushing for additional student debt relief for borrowers.

 

Expanded the scope of the student loan payment pause

Biden's payments pause on student loans initially only applied to borrowers with federal loans, meaning those with privately-held loans had to continue making payments during the pandemic.

But on March 29, Cardona expanded the scope of that pause to apply to loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, which are privately held. This helped 1.14 million additional borrowers. 

The FFEL Program ended in 2010, but according to Education Department data, 11.2 million borrowers still have outstanding FFEL loans totaling over $248 billion. And while the department acquired some of the outstanding FFEL loans, many are still privately owned and were not affected by the earlier pause on federally owned student loan payments.

According to a press release, any FFEL borrower who made a payment in the past year will have the option to request a refund. 

Asked the Justice and Education Departments to review his authority to cancel student debt

At a CNN town hall in February, Biden said he doesn't have the executive authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per person, but said he is prepared to cancel $10,000 — something he campaigned on. The same month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden will ask the Justice Department to review his legal authority to cancel $50,000 in student debt. Biden's administration has not yet commented on the status of the Justice Department's review.

However, Insider reported that he has yet to deliver on that campaign promise, and while Biden said he would support legislation brought to him to cancel $10,000 in student debt, Democrats argue that legislation takes too long, and the president can cancel debt immediately using his executive authority.

"We have a lot on our plate, including moving to infrastructure and all kinds of other things," Warren said in a February press call. "I have legislation to do it, but to me, that's just not a reason to hold off. The president can do this, and I very much hope that he will."

And White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told Politico in April that Biden had asked Cardona to create a memo on the president's legal authority to forgive $50,000 in student loans per person.

Biden will "look at that legal authority," Klain said. "He'll look at the policy issues around that, and he'll make a decision. He hasn't made a decision on that either way, and, in fact, he hasn't yet gotten the memos that he needs to start to focus on that decision."

Reversed a DeVos methodology for determining loan forgiveness

On March 18, Cardona reversed a Trump-era policy that gave only partial relief to defrauded students.

The debt-cancellation methodology, known as the "borrower defense to repayment" — approved by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — compared the median earnings of graduates with debt-relief claims to the median earnings of graduates in comparable programs. The bigger the difference, the more relief the applicant would receive.

But compared to a 99.2% approval rate for defrauded claims filed under President Barack Obama, DeVos had a 99.4% denial rate for borrowers and ran up a huge backlog of claims from eligible defrauded borrowers seeking student debt forgiveness.

Cardona said that process did not result in appropriate relief determination and needed to be reversed, and a judge recently ruled that DeVos must testify over why so few borrowers were approved for loan forgiveness.

Cancelled student debt for some defrauded borrowers

So far, Cardona has cancelled over $1.5 billion in student debt for about 92,000 borrowers defrauded by for-profit schools.

For-profit institutions that shut down years ago, such as Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institutes, were accused of violating federal law by persuading their students to take out loans, and Cardona's new policy helped approximately 72,000 of those students receive $1 billion in loan cancellation in March.

"Borrowers deserve a simplified and fair path to relief when they have been harmed by their institution's misconduct," Cardona said in a statement. "A close review of these claims and the associated evidence showed these borrowers have been harmed and we will grant them a fresh start from their debt."

And on June 16, Cardona cancelled student debt for 18,000 additional borrowers defrauded by ITT Technical Institutes, totaling to about $500 million in debt relief.

The Education Department announced in a press release that 18,000 borrowers who attended ITT Tech will get 100% of their student debt forgiven, and the department will begin notifying borrowers of their approvals for loan forgiveness in the coming weeks and will work quickly to discharge those borrowers' loan balances.

"Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve after ITT repeatedly lied to them," Cardona said in a statement.

Most recently, on July 9, Cardona cancelled student debt for 1,800 borrowers who attended the for-profit schools Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty, and the Court Reporting Institute — the first time since 2017 that borrower defense claims have been approved for borrowers outside of ITT Tech, Corinthian Colleges, and American Career Institute.

Cancelled student debt for some borrowers with disabilities

Two weeks after cancelling some debt for defrauded borrowers, Cardona on March 29 cancelled $1.3 billion of student debt for about 41,000 borrowers with disabilities.

He also waived an Obama-era requirement for those borrowers to submit documentation during a three-year monitoring period to verify that their incomes did not exceed the poverty line of $12,880 annually for a single person.

A 2016 report from the Government Accountability Office found that 98% of reinstated disability discharges occurred because borrowers did not submit the required documentation — not because their incomes were too high.

"Borrowers with total and permanent disabilities should focus on their well-being, not put their health on the line to submit earnings information during the COVID-19 emergency," Cardona said in a statement. "Waiving these requirements will ensure no borrower who is totally and permanently disabled risks having to repay their loans simply because they could not submit paperwork."

But experts said this action did not make up for the significant number of borrowers who never received loan forgiveness simply due to paperwork.

"Today's announcement is not cause for celebration but rather for outrage," Persis Yu, the director of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project at the National Consumer Law Center, said in a statement at the time. "It is scandalous that the Department revoked the loan discharges for 41,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities due to paperwork issues during a pandemic."

Then, on August 19, Cardona wiped out student debt for 323,000 additional borrowers with disabilities, resulting in $5.8 billion in student-debt relief, and he "indefinitely" waived the requirement to provide proof of income.

"We've heard loud and clear from borrowers with disabilities and advocates about the need for this change and we are excited to follow through on it," Cardona said. "This change reduces red tape with the aim of making processes as simple as possible for borrowers who need support."

Cardona also said the department will consider further waiving the three-year monitoring period.

 

Started a review of student-loan forgiveness programs

On May 24, the Education Department announced it is beginning the process of issuing new higher education regulations, mainly concerning student debt-forgiveness programs. 

The first step of the process will be through holding hearings in June to receive feedback on "regulations that would address gaps in postsecondary outcomes, such as retention, completion, student loan repayment, and loan default," according to a press release.

The department will also seek comments on rules regarding student loan forgiveness for borrowers in public service and borrowers with disabilities, among other things.

The main topics the department plans to address concern the methods for forgiving debt for defrauded borrowers and borrowers with disabilities, along with looking into the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which has rejected 98% of eligible borrowers. 

Forbes reported that the process to implement new rules could be lengthy, though. After the hearings in June, there will be "negotiated rulemaking," during which stakeholders meet with the department to review proposed regulations, and it could take a year or longer until changes are implemented. 

Biden's regulatory agenda also included plans to review loan forgiveness programs, but Insider reported on June 15 that details for those reviews remain unclear, and an Education Department spokesperson told Insider there is not yet a timeline for when improvements will be implemented. 

Summary List Placement

Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who boasted about storming the Capitol on January 6 before coming to regret her decision, on Thursday pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the riots.

Ryan pleaded guilty to a single federal misdemeanor charge of parading in the Capitol building, and is set to be sentenced on November 4 with a maximum penalty of six months in prison.

She will also pay $500 in restitution for the damage caused to the Capitol as part of the terms of her plea agreement. The government is seeking $2,000 in restitution from Capitol riot defendants who plead guilty to felonies and $500 from misdemeanor defendants. 

Read more: These 12 lawyers are Trump's chief line of defense as his legal woes keep on mounting

Ryan and two co-defendants were charged with four counts each of entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Ryan, who supports former President Donald Trump traveled to Washington, DC, on a chartered plane, gleefully documented her attendance at the riots on social media and in live videos that prosecutors later used to charge her — while promoting her Frisco, Texas-based real estate business along the way. 

A grinning Ryan posed next to a broken window at the Capitol with a peace hand signal, captioning the photo on Twitter: "window at The capital. And if the news doesn't stop lying about us we're going to come after their studios next."

"We are going to f---ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go," she said in a live video she took and posted to Facebook and YouTube, according to an FBI affidavit, later adding, "y'all know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor."

Surveillance videos of the crowd breaching the Capitol complex show Ryan wearing a Trump beanie hat. These video stills were included in the FBI's affidavit in her case. 

After the riots, she tweeted: "We just stormed the Capital. It was one of the best days of my life." 

But Ryan eventually turned on Trump when he did not pardon her or any accused rioters before he left office as she publicly pleaded with him to do so. She told The Washington Post in February that she felt hoodwinked by Trump's impassioned pleas to "stop the steal" and abandoned by her fellow "patriots." 

"I bought into a lie, and the lie is the lie, and it's embarrassing," she said. "I regret everything."

"Not one patriot is standing up for me," Ryan told The Post. "I'm a complete villain. I was down there based on what my president said: 'Stop the steal.' Now I see that it was all over nothing. He was just having us down there for an ego boost. I was there for him."

In the months since her arrest, however, Ryan's Twitter feed has continued to feature retweeted posts floating a baseless conspiracy theory that the FBI was involved in the January 6 attack and links to articles questioning the integrity of the 2020 election alongside links to her real estate listings.

Expanded Coverage Module: capitol-siege-module

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why some Coca-Cola bottles have a yellow cap