A Stunning Admission From The Air Force Explains Why Texas Church Shooter Was Able To Buy A Gun

Devin Kelley Was Convicted In A Military Court For Fracturing His Stepson’s Skull, But The Air Force Admits It Never Informed The FBI

That would’ve prevented him from going into a store and buying a gun. According to NPR, he bought 4 after his court-martial conviction. The Air Force is investigating why the paperwork that would’ve stopped him was never filed. And NPR goes deeper into a very tangled web of domestic violence charges and plea deals: pointing out that as part of his deal, a “punitive discharge — a bad conduct discharge — did not prohibit him from owning a gun, as a dishonorable discharge would have.”

Still, NPR explains: “under federal law, anyone convicted of “a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The same is true for anyone convicted of “a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” under a provision that allows no exception for the military or law enforcement.”

Kelley had also previously been convicted of cruelty to animals.

As to motive, Devin Kelley’s might’ve been as simple as being angry with his mother-in-law, who sometimes attended the church (but didn’t the day of the shooting).

 

Devin Kelley

CNN continues updating developments as they come in. So is CBS News.

Meanwhile, heartbreaking details continue to come forth. 26 people are now confirmed dead as the result of the shooting, about half of them children, including an infant. 8 members of the same family were also shot and killed.

First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, site of the shooting

The day’s developments are something both sides in the gun control argument will latch onto. Gun proponents will say there were sufficient safeguards in place; unfortunately this guy just fell through the cracks. Gun control activists will argue the fact that what appears to be a family dispute could turn so quickly into a horrifying tragedy taking the lives of so many others, shows that type of firepower belonged nowhere near the shooter.


 

A Bizarre And Surprisingly Serious Physical Attack On Republican Senator Rand Paul Yields Many Questions, And Frustratingly Few Answers

The Republican Senator could be sidelined for a while, suffering from injuries far worse than the scrapes and bruises originally reported, which include 5 broken ribs and bruised lungs.

Sen. Rand Paul (R) Kentucky (not from today)

This is the kind of story where a bunch of people know exactly what happened, but no one’s saying anything. People close to Paul did speak out when media started speculating the attack might’ve been politically motivated, but they didn’t really give specifics as to what the motive really was. The New York Times says some friends speculate it had to do with a “landscaping dispute” between the next door neighbors. Paul was attacked as he finished cutting the grass and got off his riding mower at his home in Kentucky.

Paul is a physician by training. So is his attacker. 59-year old Rene Boucher. They’ve been neighbors for 17 years. Boucher is also the developer of the “Therm-a-vest” featured in infomercials.

A younger Dr. Boucher, with his back-pain contraption

Police say they may up the charges from misdemeanor assault to a felony, given the severity of the injuries.


 

Some Good News For A Change On Obamacare

The Hill reports enrollment is way up so far this year for Obamacare which started on the 1st of this month. On the first day of enrollment more than 200,000 people picked a plan, double the total for last year. Of course too soon to tell if those numbers will hold, but it’s a good start, especially with the Trump Administration dramatically slashing advertising and outreach.


 

Trump Arrives in South Korea

He’ll hold talks with President President Moon Jae-in, and stage another rally for U.S. troops. There are 23,500 American soldiers in South Korea.

But let’s be honest: Trump is mostly there just for show: specifically to demonstrate he’s not afraid to get within a few dozen miles of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader Trump calls “Little Rocket Man”. The North Korean border is just 35 miles or so from Seoul.


 

Crackdown On Saudi Arabia Royal Family By Saudi Arabia Royal Family Widens

More arrests, and continued uncertainty about whether what we’re witnessing is a rapid series of reforms by the heir apparent to the throne, or a coup en route to a dictatorship for 32-year old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Reuters quotes one leading Saudi observer who warns “The crackdown on even the most constructive criticism – the demand for complete loyalty with a significant ‘or else’ – remains a serious challenge to the Crown Prince’s desire to be seen as a modern, enlightened leader.”

Purge “Mastermind” Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman AKA “MbS”

No wonder Trump likes this guy! The President delivered his blessing of the purge by Tweet:

The New Yorker has an interesting article that points out the founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud, himself had 45 sons and nearly 100 children in all, meaning Royal family members now likely number in the tens of thousands.


 

More Revelations As Reporters Sift Through The So-Called “Paradise Papers”

As we mentioned yesterday, they are leaked documents from a law firm in the Cayman Islands, which is known as a tax haven for rich people and corporations. Courtesy of the same people who brought you the Panama Papers. The latest involves two corporate giants:

• Apple, after facing a crackdown on a tax shelter it exploited in Ireland, moved money to the Isle of Jersey, in the English Channel. According to the New York Times, Apple holds hundreds of billions of dollars in profits offshore.

Nike, according to The Guardian, avoids taxes through a complex web of inter-company relationships and corporate restructuring ranging from Bermuda to the Netherlands.

In both cases, it all seems to be legal. Just not in the spotlight until now.


 

Today Is Election Day

It’s an “off year” without only one major federal office up for grabs: the House seat in Utah vacated when Republican Jason Chaffetz quit.  However there are some other contests and ballot initiatives worth keeping an eye on:

• The most closely watched: probably Virginia’s battle for Governor between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie. Northam has a slight lead in the polls. Gillespie, who we told you about in some detail last week, is running an unusual and controversial campaign: characterizing himself as a unifier in public appearances but at the same time airing divisive and inflammatory TV ads. There’s also a Governor’s race in New Jersey, as Chris Christie fades away.

• In Maine, voters will choose whether to expand Medicaid under Obamacare after the state’s Republican Governor has repeatedly stymied legislative efforts. If the ballot initiative passes about 80,000 Maine residents will gain Medicaid coverage. And it could also encourage other states where Governors refused to expand Medicaid to go the referendum route.

We will vote early tomorrow, because we’re hitting the road…


 

The Chaos Report Is Traveling…

We’ve been invited to attend an international digital Journalism conference in Korea, so for the rest of this week and next, the format of the report will be somewhat different, and the time we publish every morning might be a bit off.

We ask for your understanding: we are a very lean operation and would not be undertaking this journey if we did not strongly believe it will enhance our ability to report to you dependably on both the critical circumstances on the Korean Peninsula, and digital news in general. We will return to our regular format as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued backing.

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