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A bill designating <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pakistan+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Pakistan </a>a state sponsor of terrorism has been introduced in the US House of Representatives by two of the most powerful American Lawmakers.<br />
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The lawmakers said that it’s high time and US should stop paying Pakistan for its ‘betrayal’.<br />
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Republican <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ted+Poe&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ted Poe</a> and Democrat <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Dana+Rohrabacher&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Dana Rohrabacher</a> have moved the 'Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act (HR 6069)’. <keyword id="2120230" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rohrabacher">Rohrabacher</keyword> is also a ranking member of the influential <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Congressional+Committee+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Congressional Committee </a>on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Terrorism&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Terrorism</a>.<br />
<br /> "It is time we stopped paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism. Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the US for years."<keyword id="250583" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="POE">Poe</keyword>, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, told ET.<br />
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"From harbouring <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Osama+bin+Laden+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Osama bin Laden </a>to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it's not America's," he further alleged.<br />
<br /> The bill will be requiring the <keyword id="16284" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Obama">Obama</keyword> administration to formally answer this question.<br />
<br /> Poe now wants the president to issue a report within 90 days of passage detailing whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism. According to law, thirty days after that, the secretary of state (<keyword id="112421" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="John-Kerry">John Kerry</keyword>) must issue a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism or a detailed justification as to why Pakistan does not meet the legal criteria for designation.<br />
<br /> A statement issued by Congressman <keyword id="842965" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pete-Olson">Pete Olson</keyword>, he supported every effort to bring to justice the perpetrators of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uri&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uri</a> terrorist attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists.<br />
<br /> "I strongly condemn this terrorist attack on an Indian army base in <keyword id="6354495" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword> that resulted in the death of 18 Indian soldiers. India is a strong partner and ally in peace," he said, adding "I support every effort to find out who committed this heinous act, so that the perpetrators are brought to justice."<br />
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(image:youtube)

A bill designating Pakistan a
terrorist state introduced by US lawmakers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rep. <strong>Dan Crenshaw </strong>is projected to win against<strong> Democrat Sima Ladjevardian </strong>in Texas' 2nd Congressional District.</li><li>Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL and a prominent rising star in Republican <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>, is projected to win against <strong>Ladjevardian, an attorney and <keyword id="180217" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Democratic">Democratic</keyword> political strategist. </strong></li><li>Texas' 2nd District, located in the Houston area, heavily favors Republicans but has shown signs of trending towards Democrats in the past several cycles.</li><li>See the live coverage and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-house-elections-results">full results from all US House elections</a>.</li></ul><p>First-term Republican Representative <strong>Dan Crenshaw </strong>is projected to win against<strong> Sima Ladjevardian </strong>in Texas' 2nd Congressional District, located in the Houston area. </p><h2>The candidates</h2><p>Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL and congressional staffer, won the 2018 election to replace former <strong>Rep. Ted Poe. </strong></p><p>Crenshaw is a native Houstonian who served in Afghanistan as a Lieutenant Commander on SEAL Team 3 and was wounded in action in Afghanistan. After a tough recovery, Crenshaw completed two more deployments with the SEALs before retiring in 2016, receiving a Purple Heart and numerous other awards. </p><p>In Congress, Crenshaw serves on the powerful House Budget and House Homeland Security Committees. He's also a staunch conservative and ally of President Donald Trump. <a href="https://crenshawforcongress.com/policies_issues/">His campaign platform</a> emphasizes protecting gun rights, border security, and promoting free-market economic and healthcare policies. </p><p>Crenshaw is widely considered a rising star in the Republican party. He is the author of "Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage," and recently spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention. An adept social media user, he boasts approximately 3.5 million followers between his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.</p><p>Ladjevardian immigrated to the US from Iran as a child and is an attorney, breast cancer survivor, and Democratic political strategist. She worked as a Senior Advisor and the Finance Chair for former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's 2018 US Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. </p><p>Her <a href="https://www.simafortx.com/issues">campaign platform</a> highlights expanding access to affordable healthcare, including creating a public option to allow Americans to buy into Medicare, combatting climate change and protecting the Houston area from flooding, and improving the US immigration system. </p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-election-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">See live coverage and full results for the US presidential election</a></h3><h2>The district</h2><p><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX/2">Located entirely within Harris County</a>, the 2nd District snakes around the city of Houston from the suburbs northeast of the city, including Kingwood, Humble, and Spring, and then hooks down to encompass some of the areas in western and downtown Houston.</p><p>The district has shown signs of trending towards Democrats in the past several cycles.</p><p>Under its current lines, the district voted for 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by a margin of 27 percentage points, but voted for Trump in 2016 by a considerably smaller margin of nine points, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/11/19/1163009/-Daily-Kos-Elections-presidential-results-by-congressional-district-for-the-2012-2008-elections">according to the Daily Kos</a>. It is the only Houston-area district to vote for Trump. </p><p>In 2018, Cruz carried the district by a margin of just one percentage point over O'Rourke <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W_GTNylAZfboZkDeMsJPGlir3aQB64SzlVHjY9Xdnkk/edit#gid=562073942">in his reelection campaign.</a> That same year, Crenshaw won his first election by seven points over his Democratic opponent. </p><h2>The money race</h2><p>Crenshaw is one of the most prolific and talented fundraisers in the House Republican caucus. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2020&amp;id=TX02&amp;spec=Np;spec=N">According to the Center for Responsive Politics</a> and Federal Election Commission filings, he's brought in $16.2 million, spent $12.7 million, and has $3.5 million in cash on hand. </p><p>Ladjevardian has raised $3.3 million, spent $3.2 million, and has about $132,000 in cash on hand. </p><h2>What some of the experts said </h2><p><a href="https://cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings">The Cook Political Report</a> and <a href="http://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2020-house/">Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics</a> rated this race as "likely Republican" while <a href="https://insideelections.com/ratings/house">Inside Elections</a> rated it "solid Republican." </p>Expanded Coverage Module: insider-voter-guide

RESULTS: First-term GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw projected to defeat Sima Ladjevardian in Texas' 2nd District

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Texas Rep. <keyword id="10235047" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dan-crenshaw">Dan Crenshaw</keyword>, a former Navy SEAL, released an action video on Sunday of himself parachuting into <keyword id="6385073" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="georgia">Georgia</keyword> and fighting antifa activists in support of Republican Senate candidates.</li><li>The video is intended to support Sens. David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are running against Democratic opponents in runoff elections next month, seeking to secure Republican control of the Senate.</li><li>Retired Gen. Raymond Thomas, a former head of US <keyword id="452766" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Special-Operations-Command">Special Operations Command</keyword>, called the video "embarrassing" and said he thought it was a "Saturday Night Live" skit.</li></ul><p>Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, released <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-congressman-attacks-antifa-in-georgia-ad-after-violent-protests-2020-12">an action video</a> on Sunday of himself parachuting into Georgia and fighting antifa activists in support of Republican Senate candidates.</p><p>Retired US Army Gen. Raymond "Tony" Thomas, who led Special Operations Command when Crenshaw was in the military, wrote on Twitter that he thought the video was a "Saturday Night Live" or Comedy Central skit when he first watched it.</p><p>He said the video was "embarrassing" and suggested that Crenshaw's attempt to persuade US voters with martial skills and name-calling rather than policy proposals debased American <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>.</p><p>The video starring Crenshaw, a Republican who represents Texas' 2nd District, is called "Georgia Reloaded" and follows a video he made before the election in November called "Texas Reloaded."</p><p>That video ad shows Crenshaw receiving a secret mission to "save Texas" and is self-described as the "greatest joint campaign ad in history." After receiving mock orders, he parachutes into his state, where he recruits a team of local conservative leaders, all of whom have national security or military backgrounds.</p><div type="image" title="Dan Crenshaw" height="799" width="1538" msid="79730962" hostid="261"></div><p>In the "Georgia Reloaded" video, Crenshaw goes on another mission to combat "far-left activists" the video identifies as lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, among others, by rallying support for "American patriots," in this case Georgia Sens. David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler. He also fights actors pretending to be members of antifa, a loose organization of left-wing anti-fascist activists.</p><p>Backed by other prominent Republicans like Crenshaw, Purdue and Loeffler are working to win over voters ahead of runoff elections on January 5 against their Democratic opponents Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The outcomes will determine which party controls the Senate.</p><p>In a subsequent <a href="https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1338568003617759233?s=20">tweet</a> of the video, Crenshaw mocked some progressives for their reactions to it.</p><p>"Donations raised from this video? Over $100,000 so far," Crenshaw tweeted Monday. "Driving the left absolutely insane? Priceless." In another, he wrote that "this video is driving the left absolutely mad."</p><p>While the different video ads of Crenshaw engaging in politics-related combat are not real, he has been in actual combat. In 2012, on his third deployment to the Middle East as a member of SEAL Team 3, he was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He lost his right eye.</p><p>Despite the injury, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart, he continued to serve for another four years in the armed forces for a total of 10 years. Crenshaw ran for Congress in 2018 and replaced Republican Rep. Ted Poe.</p><p>Thomas, who weighed in on the video Monday, has also been a part of several combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and parts of Central America. The general retired from active duty in March 2019.</p>

Former SOCOM head says Navy SEAL congressman's action video of himself battling antifa is 'embarrassing' and looks like an 'SNL' skit

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Republican Rep. Ted Poe of Texas resigned from the House Freedom Caucus on Sunday after the group's opposition to the American Health Care Act contributed to the bill's failure this week.</p><p>"In order to deliver on the conservative agenda we have promised the American people for eight years, we must come together to find solutions to move this country forward," Poe said, in a statement first reported by <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/26/freedom-caucus-jordan-end-obamacare-blaming-let-s-get-to-work.html">Fox News</a>.</p><p>"Saying no is easy, leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do," he said. "Leaving this caucus will allow me to be a more effective Member of Congress and advocate for the people of Texas. It is time to lead."</p><p>Poe was one of the few members of the Freedom Caucus who had said he intended to vote for the AHCA. According to Fox News, he had personally told President Donald Trump he would support the healthcare legislation.</p><p>However, the approximately 30-member Freedom Caucus's near-universal opposition to the legislation ensured that Republicans would not have sufficient votes to get the bill out of the House, prompting GOP leadership to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/acha-house-vote-trump-paul-ryan-2017-3">pull the bill</a> from consideration on Friday.</p><p>Members of the Freedom Caucus, the most right-leaning flank in Congress, said they rejected the healthcare bill for not going far enough in repealing provisions of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Republicans' failure to repeal the law has been viewed as a failure for both Trump and party leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan, the AHCA's architect.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-spicer-trump-briefing-white-house-paul-manafort-michael-flynn-russia-countries-2017-3">A reporter asked Spicer if he's confident that no one in the White House is a foreign agent</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="02OGVnYTE6vwyi-t0XZgGipZhZ6XU6TA" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A GOP congressman just resigned from the hardline Freedom Caucus over failed Obamacare repeal

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>At the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/google">Google</a> CEO Sundar Pichai was asked by Rep. Steve King (IA) why his seven-year-old granddaughter saw a photo of him with inappropriate language while playing a game on her iPhone.&#xa0;</li><li>To which the Pichai answered, "Congressman, iPhone is made by a different company."</li><li>The Democratic staff table erupted in laughter at Pichai's reply, according to Business Insider's Joe Perticone who attended Tuesday's hearing.&#xa0;</li><li>Rep. Ted Lieu (CA) told the Iowa congressman later in the hearing that if he wanted "<span>positive search results, do positive things."</span></li></ul><p>At the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-testifies-before-congress-2018-12#1020-a-protester-just-temporarily-interrupted-the-hearing-8">House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/google">Google</a> CEO Sundar Pichai was asked some difficult questions. None was more difficult than Iowa Congressman Steve King's, however, whose question was literally impossible to answer.&#xa0;</p><p>King said that his seven-year-old granddaughter was playing a game on her phone before an election - most likely King's November 2018 re-election bid - and was shown a picture of the congressman that included some not-so-flattering language.&#xa0;</p><p>"I'm not going to say into the record what kind of language was used around that picture of her grandfather," he said.&#xa0;</p><p>Then, holding up his Apple device, King asked Pichai, "How does that show up on a seven year-olds-iPhone who's playing a kids game."</p><p>To which the Google CEO answered, "Congressman, iPhone is made by a different company."</p><p>The Democratic staff table erupted in laughter at Pichai's reply, according to Business Insider's Joe Perticone who attended Tuesday's hearing.&#xa0;</p><p>King backtracked and said, "It might have been an Android. It's just… it was a hand-me-down of some kind."</p><p>Later in the hearing, Rep. Ted Lieu (CA) told the Iowa congressman that if he wanted "<span>positive search results, do positive things." King has repeatedly found himself in hot water over his insensitive racial comments.&#xa0;</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong></em> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-hearing-congress-ted-lieu-steve-king-2018-12">Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tears intro Republican colleagues during Google hearing: 'If you want positive search results do positive things'</a></p><p>King <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1072557315428139008">wasn't alone</a> in holding up his iPhone when addressing Google's CEO on Tuesday.</p><p>Rep. Ted Poe (TX) showed off his Apple device when asking Pichai whether Google tracked users' phones for location data. Rep. Tom Marino (PA) held his up as well when telling Pichai of the major responsibility he had because "there's a lot of people who believe anything that's put out, by anyone."</p><h2>Watch the full King and Pichai exchange below:&#xa0;</h2><p>&#xa0;</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Google stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/GOOG-Quote"> here.</a></p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-waste-energy-garbage-landfill-space-2018-11">How Singapore solved garbage disposal</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Democrats erupt into laughter after Google CEO has to explain to Rep. Steve King that the 'iPhone is made by a different company'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Rep. Toe Poe explained on Monday&#xa0;why he resigned from the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservative lawmakers who helped block President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan's healthcare bill.<p>Poe said on&#xa0;CNN's "New Day" that the conservative caucus "continues to be the opposition caucus against anything in the Republican party."</p><p>The Texas congressman argued that while Republican leadership attempted to ignore the concerns of its most conservative members in the past, members were key players in the negotiation of the American Healthcare Act.</p><p>"There's nothing that could be added to the bill that the Freedom Caucus would ever vote yes on," Poe said. "I got the opinion that there are some members of the Freedom Caucus - they'd vote no against the Ten Commandments if it came up for a vote."</p><p>Poe claimed&#xa0;that although it was "not a perfect bill," Republicans "promised for years" that they would repeal President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act should they hold the White House.</p><p>"We voted 60 times to repeal Obamacare. Then when it came down to repealing it, when it actually counted, people said 'Nah, I'm not going to vote to repeal the bill,'" Poe said.</p><p>Trump and Ryan were forced to pull their healthcare bill&#xa0;from the House after leaders made a large concession to House Freedom Caucus members, removing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/24/us/essential-health-benefits.html">the essential health benefits requirements</a> which ensure&#xa0;insurers cover basic services under plans including&#xa0;hospitalization, basic outpatient care, and emergency room visits.&#xa0;The move only placated a few conservative members, while some moderate Republicans said they could not support the bill if it allowed states to choose whether they should require essential health benefits.</p><p>For his part, Trump also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-house-freedom-caucus-heritage-foundation-healthcare-bill-loss-2017-3" target="_blank">cast blame on the House Freedom Caucus</a> for refusing to support the bill.</p><p>In a tweet on Sunday, the president slammed the&#xa0;House Freedom Caucus and the right-leaning Heritage Foundation's opposition to the&#xa0;bill.</p><p>"Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood &amp; Ocare!" Trump wrote, shortening the term "Obamacare."</p><h2>Watch the clip below, via CNN:</h2><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-surprises-first-white-house-tour-group-children-politics-visitors-2017-3">Watch Trump surprise the first White House tour group</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="JzNTQ3YTE6c5ZFvLk4cr5mvE7AtQYu55" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

'They'd vote no against the Ten Commandments': GOP congressman resigns from conservative group

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9054779" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sabrina-ionescu">Sabrina Ionescu</keyword> has been given VIP treatment for far longer than she's been a <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> player, but in her second game in the league, she put on a performance befitting a superstar.</li><li>The 5-foot-11 point guard recorded 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists against the Dallas Wings Wednesday night, scoring more than 40% of her team's point total in her 34 minutes on the floor.</li><li>Many fans saw the influence of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant — a known mentor of Ionescu's — reflected in the <keyword id="747448" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York-Liberty">New York Liberty</keyword> rookie's breakout performance.</li></ul><p>Sabrina Ionescu was receiving superstar treatment well before she ever suited up for a WNBA team, but no one was entirely sure how long it would take for the 22-year-old point guard to play up to the massive expectations cast upon her.</p><p>Turns out, the answer was less than a week.</p><p>In her second game since the New York Liberty selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, Ionescu dropped a thirty-piece on the Dallas Wings and her former Oregon Ducks co-star, Satou Sabally. Ionescu's 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor accounted for more than 40% of New York's 80-point total. And she added seven rebounds and seven dimes to boot, making her the first Liberty player to record a 30-5-5 stat line in the last five seasons.</p><p>"I definitely felt a little bit more like myself — more comfortable, more confident in the game," Ionescu said after the game.</p><p>Ionescu's impressive showing came four days after what many described as a lackluster 12-point, six-rebound, and four-assist performance in Saturday's WNBA season opener. But considering the Walnut Creek, California, native faced a star-studded Seattle Storm squad featuring the likes of legendary point guard Sue Bird and 2018 league MVP Breanna Stewart, she composed herself decently in her 34 minutes on the floor.</p><p>"I just needed a feel for the game a little bit in that first game and kind of get my feet under me," Ionescu said. "Now I'm feeling a lot more confident and getting used to a lot of the defenses I'm having to face."</p><p>Still, Ionescu's tremendous performance Wednesday night aligned more closely with the output fans of the W expected from her all along. She went six-for-10 from beyond the arc, showcasing her trademark step-back in addition to various other skills from her comprehensive toolset throughout the night.</p><p>The 5-foot-11 sharpshooter has been primed to be a star for many years and was arguably the most highly-anticipated WNBA prospect since Stewart joined the league in 2016. In her four years playing for the Ducks, Ionescu became the NCAA's all-time leader in career triple-doubles and the only Division I player — man or woman — to log 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds over the course of their career.</p><p>Ionescu's utter dominance at the college level drew attention from some of the biggest stars in the game, including late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his basketball-loving daughter, Gigi. The Oregon star built a relationship with both Kobe and Gigi as she stepped into the national spotlight, and when the father-daughter duo tragically died in a helicopter accident along with seven others back in January, Ionescu spoke at their memorial.</p><p>Many fans saw the Black Mamba's influence reflected in the Liberty rookie's breakout performance on Wednesday night.</p><p>Though Ionescu has the potential to be a leading figure in the league for years to come, her Liberty team still has lots of room for improvement. They lost their opening-night matchup with the Storm by 16 points and their Wednesday-night game against a young Wings roster by 13 points.</p><p>"That part still isn't up to my standard, our standard as a team and an organization," Ionescu said. "We're still getting used to each other. We're still a new team, a brand new team with a lot of new faces, so it's just gonna take some growing pains."</p><p>New York will return to the floor Friday at 7 p.m. to face the Atlanta Dream before battling Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday afternoon.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ted-cruz-tomi-lahren-kelly-loeffler-blast-wnba-anthem-protests-2020-7">Ted Cruz, Kelly Loeffler, and other conservatives are blasting the WNBA after teams walked off the court before the national anthem</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/olympics-postponement-response-from-7-of-team-usas-star-athletes-2020-7">The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to be this week. Here's how 7 big names from Team USA are training and spending their free time.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-paige-bueckers-gatorade-athlete-of-year-sue-bird-2020-7">Paige Bueckers — UConn basketball's next big star — is the 2020 Gatorade Athlete of the Year</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-elena-delle-donne-medical-opt-out-rejected-no-pay-2020-7">The WNBA won't pay its top star to sit out despite a note from her doctor suggesting she avoid the 'bubble'</a></li></ul>

Sabrina Ionescu looks like the superstar we were promised just two games into her WNBA career

<p><span class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><span><span data-post-image="" class="image on-image"></span><p></p></span></span>A foreign government reportedly paid over $100,000 for a trip taken by 10 members of Congress in a potential violation of House rules and federal law.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/10-members-of-congress-took-trip-secretly-funded-by-foreign-government/2015/05/13/76b55332-f720-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert">detailed report </a>by the Washington Post, in 2013, Azerbaijan's state-owned oil company allegedly spent&#xa0;$750,000 to send US lawmakers to a conference in the country's capital city, Baku. The Post said Azerbaijan then attempted to conceal the donations by funneling the money through two US non-profits, which purchased plane tickets for&#xa0;10 lawmakers, their spouses and staff.</p>
<p>The Post said they obtained the details through leaked findings of an investigation that was conducted by the Office of Congressional Ethics.</p>
<p>The investigation reveals that the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) funded airfare for&#xa0;lawmakers and their spouses totalling $112,899. At the conference, lawmakers reportedly received numerous expensive gifts, including rugs, silk scarves, and tea sets.</p>
<p>Nine members of Congress then failed to report these gifts, many of which vastly exceeded the $350 threshold over which lawmakers must disclose gifts.</p>
<p>The ten lawmakers involved reportedly said they were unaware that the two non-profits who funded the trip -&#xa0;the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians and the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan - received money for the trip from the Azerbaijani government.&#xa0;</p>
<p class="p1">According to the Post, the members who attended were Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma), Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York), Rep. Danny Davis (D-Illinois), Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-New Mexico), Rep. Reuben Hinoja (D-Texas), Rep. Leonard Lance (R-New Jersey), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-New York), Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), and Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio).</p>
<p>The gifts and airfare represent a potential violation of Congressional rules and federal law. Lawmakers are barred from accepting money from foreign governments. Though the members claimed that they did not know that the money came from Azerbaijan, the report found that this may not be enough to exempt the members from legal repercussions.</p>
<p>SOCAR and several other companies that sponsored the conference had lobbied to receive an exemption from US oil sanctions on Iran, which borders Azerbaijan. Investigators reportedly did not prove that the members of Congress attempted to leverage their Congressional influence to help the company.</p>

Report: Members of Congress took a trip secretly funded by a foreign government

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>FBI Director James Comey admitted a "mistake was made" with the San Bernardino investigation&#xa0;during a surprisingly contentious hearing held by the&#xa0;<a href="http://judiciary.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings?ID=89431275-E911-4D5C-BD70-BFE3EF91AD86">House Judiciary Committee on&#xa0;Tuesday</a>.<p>Comey and the FBI are seeking to force Apple to build custom software to access encrypted&#xa0;data on a terrorist's iPhone.</p><p>New York Democrat Jerrold Nadler asked Comey about whether the San Bernardino iPhone had its iCloud password changed, preventing the device from backing up to accessible Apple servers. Comey was forced to admit&#xa0;that the password was changed at the FBI's request, and called it a "mistake."</p><p>It wasn't the only difficult question that Comey fielded on Monday.</p><p>Democrat John Conyers also&#xa0;asked&#xa0;a very pointed&#xa0;question:&#xa0;<span>"G</span><span class="s1">iven that Congress has explicitly denied you that authority so far, can you appreciate our frustration that this case appears to be little more than an end-run around committee?"</span></p><p><span class="s1">The question revealed Conyers' deep skepticism for the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-challenges-fbi-demand-to-hack-into-san-bernadino-shooter-iphone-5c-court-order-2016-2">FBI's court order to Apple</a>, and implies Conyers believes that Comey&#xa0;is only going through the courts because legislators have declined to write laws requiring technology companies to provide backdoors.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>"First of all I don't recall a time where I've asked for a particular legislative fix. In fact, the administration's position has been they're&#xa0;not seeking legislation at this time," Comey replied.</span></p><p><span>Apple has&#xa0;insisted&#xa0;that the issue over one of the San Bernardino shooter's locked iPhone is one that would be best handled by Congress.&#xa0;</span><span>Conyers, the longest-serving member of Congress, and other members of the House Judiciary Committee, appear to&#xa0;agree with Apple.</span></p><p>In fact, Representatives from&#xa0;of both parties seemed generally skeptical of Comey's testimony on Tuesday.&#xa0;</p><ul><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Ohio Republican Steve Chabot cornered Comey into admitting that smaller businesses than Apple might be severely burdened by similar requests.&#xa0;</span></li><li>California Republican Darell Issa focused on berating Comey about whether the FBI even understood on a technical level what it was asking Apple to do.&#xa0;</li><li>California Democrat Zoe Lofgren corrected a Comey assertion that Apple's iCloud had not been hacked.</li><li>Texas Republican Ted Poe said that "Congress should decide this, not the judiciary system," and pressed Comey to answer. (He said there's a "huge role for Congress to play.")</li><li>Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz wondered why the government can force a private company to do its bidding, and pressed further whether the FBI "screwed things up" by changing the phone's iCloud password. Comey disagreed with that characterization.</li><li>Chaffetz also talked about surveillance in general, bringing up <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-daniel-rigmaiden-discovered-stingray-spying-technology-2015-6">Stingray spying tools</a>.&#xa0;</li><li>Democrat Judy Chu from California asked whether foreign governments can use technical backdoors as well, and cited a researcher who says the government has several different resources to unlock phones. (Comey said that the FBI has looked into those tools, but don't have a way to break an iPhone running iOS 9.)</li></ul><p><span>One congressman who was skeptical of Apple's position was South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy, who compared Apple's responsibility to surgeons, who can preserve evidence while removing bullets from a body. He said that Apple "has already weighed the balance" and decided the government shouldn't be able to get into a terrorist's phone.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>Comey is currently testifying. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-director-admits-mistake-made-with-san-bernardino-shooter-iphone-2016-3">Click here to refresh the page</a>.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>Apple's top lawyer, Bruce Sewell, will testify on a p</span><span>anel later on Tuesday, joined by&#xa0;Cyrus Vance, district attorney for Manhattan, and Susan Landau, a former Google privacy analyst and current professor.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>You can watch the entire hearing here:</span></p><p><span><div></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/text-message-mistakes-relationships-aziz-ansari-eric-klinenberg-2016-2">Avoid these 5 mistakes when texting someone you want to date</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="djZXY4MTE6MRGnyO33CF6FT0sP1C4uTX" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The director of the FBI just admitted that 'a mistake was made' with the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source">REUTERS/Jason</p></div></div>At a recent<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-spying-under-fire-youve-got-problem-164530431.html"> judiciary hearing</a> on the wide-ranging surveillance practices of the <keyword id="38879" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NSA">NSA</keyword> revealed a staggering practice called "three-hop analysis."</p>
<p><span>Three-hop analysis means that when the NSA requests justification for tapping a "suspected terrorist," they can also tap that suspect's contacts, then their contacts, and the contacts of their contacts.</span></p>
<p>Pete Yost of the Boston Globe<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/07/17/nsa-spying-under-fire-you-got-problem/Ev73I1XwPYtvD2WFZ6idGK/story.html"> explained the scope of these taps</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>If the average person calls 40 unique people, three-hop analysis could allow the government to mine the records of 2.5 million Americans when investigating one suspected terrorist.</span></p>
<p><span><span>Theoretically, at that rate it would take tapping only about 150 suspected terrorists could cover the entire population of the United States.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>When <span>NSA Deputy Director John C. Inglis tried to justify the practice of gathering all communications of people three-degrees separated from the suspect at the hearing, <span>Representative Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia, interrupted him.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span>‘‘I said I wasn’t going to yell at you and I’m going to try not to. [The bulk collection] is exactly what the American people are worried about. That’s what’s infuriating the American people. They’re understanding that if you collect that amount of data, people can get access to it in ways that can harm them.’’</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Furthermore, two major senators, <span>Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.)</span>, question the effectiveness of the NSA's bulk collection programs and assert that claims made by intelligence officials "</span><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/portal/politics/ci_23530383/udall-nsa-states-significant-errors-about-privacy-protections?_loopback=1">should not simply be accepted at face value</a><span>."</span></span></span></p>
<p>Such Bulk collection goes farther than just "terrorists."<span> The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/us/in-secret-court-vastly-broadens-powers-of-nsa.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0">notes</a> it's also people suspected of "nuclear proliferation, espionage, and cyber attacks" that attract requests from the NSA.</span></p>
<p>The cyber attack category is the most troubling since hackers can disguise themselves as other IP addresses, essentially using someone else's computer to launch attacks. That puts several unsuspecting Americans in line for NSA wiretapping.</p>
<p>Recently, <a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/07/spygate-snooping-standing/">a judge ruling on a suit</a> by the American Civil Liberties Union paved the way for the NSA to possibly skirt any lawsuits over inadvertent tapping of innocent Americans' communications. The Obama <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/07/19/obama-litt-national-security-agency-brookings-institution/2568589/">administration responded today</a> to the suit and the House Judiciary Committee's hearing with a statement from <span>Robert S. Litt, general counsel for the director of national intelligence.</span></p>
<p><span>"They are authorized by Congress and are carefully overseen by the Congressional intelligence and judiciary committees," Litt said. "They are conducted with the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and under its supervision. And they are subject to extensive, court-ordered oversight by the Executive Branch."</span></p>
<p>The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/us/in-secret-court-vastly-broadens-powers-of-nsa.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0">rulings are totally secret</a>, overseen only by the highest members of Obama's cabinet and the president himself. And the claim about judiciary committee oversight seems a bit overstated as well.</p>
<p>Yet Rep. Ted Poe, who has a seat on the Judiciary Committee, <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/07/17/nsa-spying-under-fire-you-got-problem/Ev73I1XwPYtvD2WFZ6idGK/story.html">disputed such a claim.</a></p>
<p><span>‘‘Snowden, I don’t like him at all, but we would never have known what happened if he hadn’t told us," he said.</span></p>

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