05/4/18

China’s Xi Praises Marxism As The Tool For China To ‘Win The Future’

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Chinese President Xi Jinping celebrated the birthday of Marxism by paying tribute to Karl Marx as “the greatest thinker of modern times” in a speech today seen as part of an effort so solidify his power against domestic critics. He hardly needs to do so. He is basically dictator for life now in China and rules with an iron fist. Between control of the military, social media and the implementation of things such as social credit scores, Xi is clamping down on China big time. He is implementing communism in all its brutish infamy.

Xi’s address at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing was one of a series of events in China marking the bicentennial of Marx’s birth in 1818 in Germany. May 1st marked communist May Day in China and was celebrated across the nation. For those thinking that China is not truly communist and some odd mixture of Marxism and capitalism, let me disabuse you of that fallacy. It is communism and Xi wields all the power of Mao. And he’s just as brutal.

“We must win the advantages, win the initiative, and win the future. We must continuously improve the ability to use Marxism to analyze and solve practical problems,” Xi said beneath a massive portrait of the white-bearded Marx on a stage bedecked with scarlet and gold curtains. That is the ultimate place of honor for the communist. “Today, we commemorate Marx in order to pay tribute to the greatest thinker in the history of mankind and also to declare our firm belief in the scientific truth of Marxism,” he said.

Xi controls the Communist Party in China now and his detractors who are unhappy with him eliminating term limits are likely to find out the hard way that he is an emperor for all intents and purposes and his enemies are truly expendable. Xi is also general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, an official that is also not term-limited.

Marx’s work became the inspiration for communism, an ideology that aims for shared ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes. It is idealized by the left. What it truly entails is subjugation of the masses. Wealth is only for a chosen few and freedom does not exist. China launched market reforms three decades ago, but the Communist Party keeps an iron grip on power. It is a sham… a Kabuki theater dance the West is all too willing to believe and romanticize. They won’t feel that way when war comes. Xi intends to rule the world, not only militarily, but through natural resources, economically, digitally, through artificial intelligence and any other way that matters.

The South China Sea

The White House warned Beijing on Thursday that there will be consequences for its growing militarization in the South China Sea, following reports of missiles being deployed to three of the country’s outposts in the disputed region. They have already created islands that are fully militarized that will control international shipping channels and are strategically placed for military purposes.

U.S. intelligence assessed that there is a high probability the Chinese military had deployed anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles to three artificial islands during recent military drills on the contested sea. The move would mark the first reported Chinese missile deployment in the Spratly Islands, a series of small inlets and reefs that Beijing has slowly built into militarized, artificial islands to reinforce its claims. CNBC first reported the Chinese military had deployed the weapons systems to Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef, west of the Philippines, on Thursday, quoting a source with knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports. According to CNBC, the YJ-12B anti-ship missiles would be able to strike ships up to 295 nautical miles away from the artificial islands.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday the deployment of “necessary national defense facilities” to the artificial islands were within China’s rights. “It has nothing to do with militarization,” she told reporters at her daily press briefing. “The U.S. constantly strengthens its military deployment in the South China Sea … they should consider the consequence of this. We think the U.S. should reflect on its wrong doing.” She said on Thursday China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the contested islands.

China’s steady military buildup on the islands is reaching a “point of no return,” Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Maritime Security Program, told CNN. “There is no way we can reverse all these ongoing additions, it will be up to China. They will decide whether they will deploy these systems or withdraw these systems. All we can do is manage it,” Koh said. The missile deployments are just the latest example of Beijing tightening its hold on the South China Sea in recent years, as the world’s attention focused farther north, on the Korean Peninsula. China’s “forward operating bases” now appear complete. The only thing lacking are the deployed forces. North Korea is a designed distraction.

Chinese People’s Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China’s new military base in Djibouti on Aug. 1, 2017. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Chinese Laser Attacks

Chinese military personnel are targeting American flight crews in the skies over the east African nation of Djibouti using a high-powered laser in what amounts to a new show of Chinese harassment of the U.S. military at a time of heightened tensions between the nations, according to Pentagon officials. Theese incidents bolster longstanding U.S. concerns about China’s decision to establish its first overseas military outpost close to the largest U.S. military base in Africa.

“These incidents are not surprising as they represent an act just short of war, but indicate gross, intentional negligence, as well as complete disregard for aviation safety and international norms,” said Trey Meeks, a principal at the Asia Group research firm. Meeks, a former pilot and Air Force colonel, had a previous assignment at U.S. Pacific Command. “I would certainly view it as harassment.”

From The Wall Street Journal:

There have been four incidents over the past several weeks at Djibouti, military officials said. Three involved the use of a military-grade laser that appeared to be coming from or near a logistics area of the Chinese base, those officials said. A fourth incident, as recently as two weeks ago, didn’t employ a military-grade device and appeared to come from a different location, but officials declined to specify where.

In one of the most recent, two American service members piloting a C-130 turboprop experienced minor eye injuries after being exposed to the laser beam, according to a Pentagon official. The pilots experienced dizziness and seeing “rings” after the incidents, and they are recovering, the official said.

Military officials also confirmed that there have been an undisclosed number of incidents involving lasers within U.S. Pacific Command, which encompasses the Pacific and Asia, where the U.S. and Chinese militaries have frequent encounters. But one official said that those laser incidents, while under investigation, haven’t been formally blamed on the Chinese.

Lasers are often used by saboteurs at commercial airports to distract or temporarily blind civilian jet pilots, typically as they are landing a plane and the potential for accidents is high, experts have said.

Devices that project laser beams have legitimate military uses, such as to help designate targets for aircraft, as target sights for hand-held weapons, or to temporarily blind advancing enemy troops in combat.

The military issued an internal notice, posted on the Federal Aviation Administration website, to warn pilots of the potential risks, referring last month to the laser used as “high-powered” and urging pilots to use “extreme caution.”

“The U.S. has notified airmen to exercise caution when flying in certain areas in Djibouti,” said Maj. Sheryll Klinkel, a Pentagon spokeswoman. “This notice was issued due to lasers being directed at U.S. aircraft on a small number of separate occasions over the last few weeks.”

“Lasers pointed at aircraft have the potential to cause serious harm to the aircrew and the surrounding area,” she said.

The attacks likely came from a nearby Chinese base. “The grade of the lasers are of military grade,” Maj. Klinkel said. “The reports by the pilots were that they came from the direction of the Chinese base nearby.” “Multiple intelligence sources report that China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is suspected of operating a high-power lasing weapon at the base or on a ship offshore,” said a report in IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly. Lasers were used by the Soviet military during the Cold War to temporarily blind US pilots as well.

While Xi is honoring Marx, the Chinese military is attacking the U.S. with cyber warfare, lasers, hacking and intimidating us every chance they get. Communism and freedom are incompatible… sooner or later the U.S. and China will face off and things are seriously beginning to heat up.

05/4/18

Adding Another 25 Cents to the Price of Gas at the Pump

By: Denise Simon | Founders Code

Sigh….would that revenue be applied to pay off U.S. debt? Nah…

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who called raising gas taxes a ‘horrible idea,’ says Trump is considering a hike

Raising the federal gas tax is one of several options President Donald Trump is considering to pay for infrastructure spending, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.
The president proposed an increase of 25 cents per gallon last week, according to several sources.
Ross, who once called raising the federal fuel levy a “horrible idea,” on Thursday said it’s logical to charge drivers for road improvements.

Enter the U.S Chamber of Commerce:

The U.S. Chamber has long believed that implementing a modest increase in the motor vehicle fuel user fee (also known as the gas tax) is the simplest, fairest, and most effective way to raise the money that America needs to fund critical upgrades to our roads, bridges, and transit systems.

Earlier this year, and for the first time, we threw out a number: 25 cents. By raising the federal gas tax by 25 cents—five cents per year over five years—we could raise $394 billion over the next decade, and it would only cost the average motorist about $9 a month.

That’s the kind of money we need to be investing in our nation’s infrastructure system. It’s that important, and we won’t be able to build what we need to build if we do it on the cheap.

So far, we’ve seen strong support for our proposal from across the U.S. business community, and a few weeks ago, President Trump indicated his openness to backing a 25-cent increase as part of his administration’s infrastructure modernization efforts.

Despite the momentum that exists to come up with a long-term and sustainable funding solution for America’s infrastructure woes, our concrete and common-sense proposal has met resistance from some corners of Washington, most of it based on incomplete information about the gas tax and the impact of an increase.

To help fill that gap, we’ve compiled five assertions we’ve heard about the gas tax over the last few weeks, and we’ve filled in parts of the story that have so far been missing from the debate.

1. Assertion: An increase in the gas tax is regressive.

Reality: Any user fee, toll, fare, or sales tax is by definition regressive. The fixed fee or tax is larger as a share of income the less the payer makes. A bus fare, for example, costs a larger share of income for someone who makes $30,000 a year than it does for someone who makes $300,000 a year.

The only way to avoid a regressive system of financing our highways and transit systems is to abandon the user fee model altogether and instead fund infrastructure out of general income taxes. Do opponents of adjusting the gas tax really believe a better alternative is raising income taxes and making the current code more progressive?

It is worth remembering that the costs associated with crumbling and substandard infrastructure are also regressive; inaction is expensive.

Forty-four percent of America’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Driving on those bad roads costs U.S. motorists $120 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs—$553 per motorist, in fact. Those bills are a bigger burden for low-income drivers than high-income drivers.

Congestion is also stealing time from American families. The average commute time to work has increased by 35 minutes a week between 1990 and 2015. Higher congestion means longer commutes and higher costs.

2. Assertion: An increase in the gas tax would wipe out the benefits of tax reform.

Reality: The Ways and Means Committee has estimated that the typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. Based on average household consumption of gasoline, if a 25-cent increase in the motor fuel tax was implemented all at once (and it is more likely to be phased in) the additional fee would only be $285, a very small portion of the average family’s total tax relief.

Let’s not forget that thanks to common-sense energy policies and increased fuel efficiency, families today are paying less for gasoline. In 2008, the average household expenditure for gasoline was $2,715. In 2017, it is estimated to have been $1,197, a difference of $738. That savings is more than two times greater than the cost of increasing the motor fuel user fee.

3. Assertion: We don’t need to raise the gas tax. Congress should instead cut spending on bike paths and other wasteful items.

Reality: There is no question that Congress should repurpose any wasteful or low-priority infrastructure spending, but funding for so-called “transportation alternatives” is less than 2% of overall federal highway spending. And of that less than 2%, states are already authorized to transfer half of the funds from alternative projects to more traditional projects.

If you eliminated all funding for transportation alternatives, you would reduce the current $138 billion shortfall in the highway and transit trust fund by only approximately 6%. Furthermore, during the last two federal highway authorization laws (MAP-21 and FAST Act), Congress has substantially reduced the number of federally required programs from 112 to 12, therefore focusing limited dollars on programs with the greatest economic return.

Occasionally, critics will claim that “wasteful,” non-highway funding is much higher—say 20% or more of total spending. However, these critics only get to this larger number by lumping in funding for transit programs. The most recent highway bill provided approximately $10 billion a year in funding for transit programs. Since 1983, when President Reagan signed legislation dedicating a portion of the motor vehicle fuel user fee to transit programs, there has been no serious consideration of divorcing transit funding from highway funding. If Congress, were to do so, it would likely only mean that general fund spending would need to be increased to cover transit program spending, meaning no additional money for highways.

4. Assertion: States have already raised their own gas taxes, so there is no need for Congress to do so.

Reality: Support for our highway infrastructure has historically been a partnership between the federal government and state governments, with state government devoting more dollars to building and maintaining our highway system than the federal government. Adjusted for inflation, spending at all levels of government has been on the decline since 2000. State governments are raising their user fees in many cases in order to just maintain their level of support for highway modernization. If the federal government fails to do likewise, the historic partnership will break down along with our infrastructure.

5. Assertion: Raising the gas tax is politically impossible.

Reality: Thirty-nine states have raised gas taxes since 1993, and some have done it several times.

We haven’t found a single lawmaker who has lost his or her seat solely because of a vote in favor of raising the gas tax. It may be a tougher vote in some regions of the country or for some elected leaders than others, but it’s a vote worth taking. Each and every day, American voters interact with our nation’s roads, bridges, airports, and more, and we believe voters will reward leaders who acknowledge that infrastructure investments can mean more economic growth and more prosperity.

05/4/18

China and Russia Using Same Aggressive Military Playbook

By: Denise Simon | Founders Code

So, we cannot deny that Russia has been quite aggressive against the United States and our allies and that it goes beyond the conflict in Syria and hacking. Russian spy ships cruise our coastlines, Russian fighter jets buzz our aircraft and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group attack our forces. Russia also encroaches on other countries and successfully annexes them such as Crimea and the Ukraine.

So, what about China?

Well, there are those disputed Spratley Islands, claimed by several countries where China has taken full control. Now those islands, which are part of one the largest maritime shipping channels in the world, are weaponized and fortified by China with cruise missiles and surface to air weapons platforms. China is well known for hacking, successful industrial espionage and intellectual property theft.

The placement of the defensive weapons also comes on the heels of China’s recent South China Sea installation of military jamming equipment, which disrupts communications and radar systems. By all accounts, the new coastal defense systems represent a significant addition to Beijing’s military portfolio in one of the most contested regions in the world.

The land-based anti-ship cruise missiles, designated as YJ-12B, allow China to strike surface vessels within 295 nautical miles of the reefs. Meanwhile, the long-range surface-to-air missiles designated as HQ-9B, have an expected range of targeting aircraft, drones and cruise missiles within 160 nautical miles.

The defensive weapons have also appeared in satellite images of Woody Island, China’s military headquarters in the nearby Paracel Islands. More here.

As the Chinese have a military base just one mile from the American base in Djibouti, at least ten nasty encounters by the Chinese against American aircraft have been recorded. So, the Pentagon has filed a demarche.

In a press briefing Thursday, Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White told reporters that the “very serious incidents” had resulted in “two minor injuries,” noting that Chinese laser use “poses a true threat to our airmen.” White said the U.S. has asked China to investigate laser use in the area. “It’s a serious matter. And so we’re taking it very seriously,” White explained. “We expect China to investigate it thoroughly.”

Camp Lemonnier is the only permanent American base in Africa and is home to around 4,000 troops. Opened in 2001, the installation has become a vital staging point for U.S. counter-terrorism operations, especially as a regional hub for American drone missions launched from a network of other nearby bases. Initially an 88-acre base, an agreement was signed with the Djibouti government in 2006 to expand the facility to 500 acres.

Chinese military observers told the Post that China’s laser use may be trying to scare off birds near its airfield or disrupting spy drones flying above, rather than targeting foreign pilots. Analyst Zhou Chenming told the newspaper, “The Chinese and U.S. bases in Djibouti are really close, so one could disturb the other if the two sides don’t have a proper communication mechanism.”

*** But hold on…Tucker Carlson presented a handful of key questions to Senator Marco Rubio. The answers were terrifying.

05/4/18

From the APP Store, Notifica ICE Raids

By: Denise Simon | Founders Code

Ah yes, those pesky apps found on iTunes and Google Play, funded by George Soros. This app helps illegal immigrants avoid federal immigration authorities. The group behind this scheme is United We Dream and guess what? That organization receives taxpayer funding. Uh huh…

Notifica is a project of United We Dream

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country. With over half a million members, we advocate for the justice and dignity for all immigrants. Notifica was made thanks to the knowledge of immigrant youth organizing, and a generous partnership with Huge and Matter Supply, full service design/digital agencies

***

Notifica, is a new app that will act as a panic button for undocumented immigrants who are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Wired reports.

To help immigrants who have been detained, the organization United We Dream, which is led by young immigrants, and digital agency Huge developed the Notifica app. When immigrants are detained by ICE their families and loved ones might not even know what happened, but Notifica aims to change that.

“You have the right to be prepared,” says the app’s site. “Be prepared with Notifica, an app that sends out secure messages to your support network when you need it most.”

How The Notifica App Works

With Notifica, users can select contacts they want to notify in case they are taken by ICE. The app allows users to set up a personalized notification to each recipient, for example, a message to your mom or sibling would be different than the one you send to your attorney. After you write the preloaded messages, others will not have access to them and will not be able to read them. There is also a pin that seals off the messages in case your device is lost or stolen.

If the user is taken by ICE, a single click will send all messages via text in less than two seconds. Huge has also launched a phone hotline for those who don’t have a phone in reach but may be able to make a call afterwards. More here.

***

A division of the Justice Department awarded at least $206,453 to the National Immigration Law Center, which advises illegal immigrants on their rights, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch.

The Office of Justice Programs awarded the grants between fiscal years 2008 and 2010, the records cited by the conservative government watchdog group show. That would overlap the administrations of both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

One of the projects of the National Immigration Law Center is United We Dream, which describes itself as a youth program for “undocumented” immigrants.

The Laredo Morning Times quoted Adrian Reyna, director of membership and technology strategies for United We Dream, as saying that “when something actually happens, most people don’t know what to do at that moment.”

The Texas newspaper also reported that United We Dream is working on a second version of Notifica that will include the ability to use more languages besides Spanish and English.

The second version, set to be released this summer, would include Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese. The updated app also will be able to determine where an illegal immigrant is being detained, the newspaper reported.

United We Dream pushes to give legal status to so-called Dreamers, illegal immigrants brought to the United States when they were children. The organization, which has a hotline, advises illegal immigrants against cooperating with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a press release, the group says: “United We Dream calls on our communities to defend their rights, not open the door to ICE, and to report ICE activities to the United We Dream MigraWatch hotline.”

The April release adds: “United We Dream has also developed the mobile app, Notifica, which immediately alerts your loved ones and legal advocates to the user’s location in cases of detention. Text ‘Notifica’ to 877-877 for a link for download.”

The Soros-backed Open Societies Foundations don’t have a direct role in the app, but doesn’t find it objectionable, said Angela Kelley, the senior strategic adviser on immigration at the Open Society Foundations.

05/4/18

The Monies and Deals that Flowed Into Iran, People Swap

By: Denise Simon | Founders Code

1. Why does France want to keep the Iran nuclear deal? “French exports to Iran for the first 11 months of 2017 rose 120% to €1.29 billion ($1.6 billion) and imports grew 80 % to €2.16 billion,” Celestin-Urbain said.“The short-term priority was to keep trade simple and complete a scheme this year to offer euro-denominated credits to Iranian buyers of French goods,” he said, a move that would keep bilateral trade outside the reach of US sanctions.

The head of state-owned investment bank Bpifrance, which is putting the plan together, said he was confident the scheme, which had a pipeline of deals worth €1.5 billion, could start operating by end-May or early-June. However, he warned that talks were ongoing on how to protect French firms if the US snapped back sanctions.

2. The U.S. government wired $848,000 to Iran in July 2015 to settle a dispute over fossils and architectural drawings now in Iran’s possession.

3.The U.S. also wired $9 million to Iran in exchange for 32 tons of heavy water.

4.There is some chatter also about $400 million relating to the freedom of a U.S . spy. (likely part of #2) also came from the New York Federal Reserve and was converted to Swiss Francs.

5.The $1.7 billion that went to Iran traveled through a network of the New York Federal Reserve and several European banks. This money was then transferred to the Swiss bank, converted to Swiss banknotes and moved to the Swiss National Bank. The U.S, government then transported them to Geneva via a flight bound for Iran. The transactions out of the U.S reserves were three separate transactions. At the same time there was a large hostage exchange. Iran released 4 American hostages. The Dutch Central Bank was also instrumental in facilitating the $1.3 billion into Euros. These monies appear to all be spent on the export of terror, supporting Bashir al Assad of Syria and keeping the Houthi rebels armed in Yemen.

6.People:

Khosrow Afghahi

Afghahi, 72, was arrested in California in April and faced charges for allegedly violating the Iranian embargo and money laundering.

He was the managing director and part owner of Tehran-based Faratel Corporation and the minority owner of Houston-based Smart Power Systems, according to a grand jury indictment filed in federal court in Texas in April.

He was accused of participating in a scheme to illegally export high-tech microelectronics as part of an “Iranian procurement network operating in the United States,” the Justice Department said after his arrest.

He had pleaded not guilty and the case had not yet gone to trial, attorney David Gerger said. A pardon was handed to him at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, allowing him to be released from prison after nine months behind bars, according to his attorney.

Gerger described his release as “the right result,” adding that his client is now spending time with his family.

“He is a good man,” Gerger said, “and we are glad to put this behind him.”

U.S. companies violated Iran sanctions, indictment says

Tooraj Faridi

Faridi, of Houston, was vice president of Smart Power Systems and was accused of participating in the alleged scheme. In a statement released at the time of the indictment, an FBI official said such microelectronics shipments could put national security at risk.

“The proliferation of sensitive U.S. technologies to Iran and the direct support to their military and weapons programs remains a clear threat to U.S. national security,” said Randall Coleman, assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division.

Faridi’s attorney told CNN affiliate KPRC that his client never posed a threat to the country.

“He’s as American as anybody that was born in this country. He’s loved being here, he’s fought hard to be here and he’s going to stay here, so it’s been very stressful to him to be accused of being somebody who’s a threat to national security when he’s just as American and patriotic as anybody in this town,” attorney Kent Schaffer said.

He faced charges for allegedly violating the Iranian embargo and money laundering. The case had not yet gone to trial. He was pardoned on Sunday as part of the deal.

Bahram Mechanic

Mechanic, the majority owner of Faratel and Smart Power Systems, also was accused in the same alleged scheme. He faced charges of violating the embargo and money laundering, among other counts.

Attorney Joel Androphy told CNN that Mechanic, Faridi and Afghahi were met by their wives after their release and headed to their homes.

“They were ecstatic to be out,” he said.

The attorney told KPRC that his client eventually plans to return to Iran.

Androphy told Forbes the accusations against his client were baseless and he believes they would have won if the case had gone to trial.

Mechanic was pardoned on Sunday as part of the deal.

Nima Golestaneh

The 30-year-old Iranian national pleaded guilty in December to charges of wire fraud and unauthorized access to computers, the Department of Justice said.

He was arrested in Turkey in November 2013 and extradited to the United States last February.

According to a plea agreement, he conspired to hack the network and computers at Arrow Tech, an engineering consulting and software company in Vermont.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nader Modanlo

The naturalized U.S. citizen, who lived in Potomac, Maryland, was convicted in 2013 of conspiring to illegally provide satellite services to Iran, federal officials said at the time.

He was a mechanical engineer with science and engineering degrees from George Washington University. Prosecutors argued he’d broken the law by helping Iran launch communications satellites.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013. That sentence was commuted as part of the deal.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arash Ghahreman

A naturalized U.S. citizen, Ghahreman was convicted in April of violating U.S. export and money laundering laws as part of a scheme to buy marine navigation equipment and military electronic equipment for illegal export to Iran.

He was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison last August. That sentence was commuted Sunday as part of the deal.

Attorney Ellis Johnson said Ghahreman and his family were extremely relieved after his release.

“He plans to spend some time with his aunt and her family on the East Coast, reunite with his girlfriend who’s currently on the West Coast, and hopefully visit his elderly parents in Iran, whom he hasn’t seen in years since this case began,” Johnson said.

Ghahreman, the attorney said, is a “kind, considerate man who poses no threat to the United States.”

Ali Saboonchi

A federal jury in convicted Saboonchi, who holds both Iranian and U.S. citizenship, in August 2014 of conspiracy and seven counts of exporting American manufactured industrial products to Iran.

He was sentenced to 24 months in prison last February. That sentence was commuted Sunday as part of the deal.

In a written statement, his attorneys described Saboonchi as a “hard-working family man and American” who poses no danger and “has a bright future ahead.”

“He was born in the U..S and is proud to be raising his young family here. His arrest and incarceration were devastating to his many friends and family,” attorneys Elizabeth Oyer, Lucius Outlaw III and Meghan Skelton said. “Ali is thrilled and grateful for his release and return to his family.”