LONDON (Reuters) – Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of “vaccine passports” as a way of reopening the economy by identifying those protected against the coronavirus.
Those developing the technologies however, say such tools come with consequences such as potentially excluding whole groups from social participation, and are urging lawmakers to think seriously about how they are used.
The travel and entertainment industries, which have struggled to operate at a profit while imposing social distancing regulations, are particularly interested in a way of swiftly checking who has protection.
Among those developing passports are biometrics company iProov and cyber security firm Mvine which have built a vaccine pass now being tested within Britain’s National Health Service after receiving UK government funding.
iProov founder and chief executive Andrew Bud believes such vaccine passports only really need to hold two pieces of information.
“One is, has this person been vaccinated? And the other is, what does this person look like?”
You need only match a face to a vaccination status, you don’t need to know a person’s identity, he added.
Confirmation of patrons’ vaccination status could help the night-time economy, which employs some 420,000 people in the northern English city of Manchester, off its knees, experts say.
“We have to look at how to get back to normal,” said Sacha Lord, an industry adviser and co-founder of the city’s Parklife music festival.
While there have been experiments in socially distanced concerts and events over the last year, they weren’t financially viable, he said.
“A gig isn’t a gig or a festival isn’t a festival unless you are stood shoulder to shoulder with your friends.
“I don’t think we should be forcing people into the vaccine passports. It should be a choice. But on entry, if you don’t have that passport, then we will give you another option,” he added, suggesting the use of rapid result coronavirus tests.
Bud said vaccine certificates were being rolled out in some countries, and in the United Sates, some private sector health passes were being used to admit customers to sports events.
“I think vaccine certificates raise huge social and political issues. Our job is to provide the technology basis for making vaccine passports and certificates possible … It is not our place to make judgments about whether they are a good idea or not,” he said.
Potential issues could arise around discrimination, privilege and exclusion of the younger generation who would be last in line to be vaccinated, he said, adding he believed government was giving it careful consideration.
Reporting by Natalie Thomas; Writing by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Mike Collett-White
Two NASA astronauts completed the second in a pair of spacewalks today (Feb. 1), installing a European science platform and finishing up a long series of battery replacements outside the International Space Station.
Today’s spacewalk, which began at 7:56 a.m. EST (1256 GMT), was the 234th spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades, according to NASA. The 233rd spacewalk took place just a few days prior, on Jan. 27.
This spacewalk was conducted by NASA astronaut Victor Glover and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins. This marked Glover’s second spacewalk and Hopkin’s fourth spacewalk.
“Enjoying the view,” Hopkins said about the view of the Earth from space during the spacewalk.
Related: The International Space Station: inside and out (infographic)
NASA astronaut Victor Glover rides on Canadarm2 to complete work during a spacewalk on Feb. 1, 2021. (Image credit: NASA)
Glover and Hopkins had a variety of tasks to tackle when they stepped out into space. After completing their main objectives — which included configuring a battery and adapter plate and installing three separate cameras — just about four hours into what was planned to be a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the astronauts were able to complete some “get-ahead” activities.
“We went out the door a little bit late today but we’ve made up all that time,” Hopkins said during the spacewalk.
The pair was assisted by personnel including NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi on board the space station and NASA astronaut Bob Hines, who relayed next steps to the spacewalkers from the ground.
Throughout the duration of the mission, Glover used the “call sign,” or nickname, of “Ike, Hopkins used the name “Hopper” and Hines went by “Farmer.”
First, after leaving the space station airlock, Glover and Hopkins installed the final lithium-ion battery and adapter plate on the port 4 (P4) truss. The adapter plate completed the circuit for the battery system. This was the last in a series of battery-installment EVA activities that began in January 2017 to replace old nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lithium-ion batteries. Hopkins installed a scoop, a handling aid, on the lithium-ion battery to help with the installation.
“Final adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will wrap up battery replacement work to change out batteries for 8 power channels used to route electricity on the station. Upgrades have been carried out in a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years,” NASA tweeted about the accomplishment.
✅ Final adapter plate installed on the @Space_Station. Today’s spacewalk will wrap up battery replacement work to change out batteries for 8 power channels used to route electricity on the station. Upgrades have been carried out in a series of spacewalks over the past 4 years. pic.twitter.com/Gmg7TmPA0sFebruary 1, 2021
“1 hr into today’s spacewalk and we have confirmation that the final Li-ion battery installed has a good configuration. @AstroVicGlover and @Astro_Illini are continuing to work on their tasks on the station,” NASA confirmed in another tweet.
The astronauts then drilled one bolt to secure the Direct Current Switching Unit (DCSU), which helps to route power through the station’s battery system.
Following the completion of this main task, Hopkins worked to remove the H-fixture, a grapple fixture bracket on the same truss as the battery that were once used for ground processing of solar arrays and are not needed any longer. Hopkins loosened and removed four bolts using a tool on a retractable tether. These fixtures are necessary for future power upgrades, NASA commentator Leah Cheshier noted during the agency’s broadcast.
NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins completed the second in a series of two spacewalks today Feb. 1, 2021. (Image credit: NASA)
Glover next began replacing a magenta-hued camera on the starboard truss; the camera’s color wheel had broken. To do this, Glover had to ride the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, over to the area. The arm, which provides added stability during the maneuver, was robotically controlled by Rubins from the space station.
To get onto the arm to “ride” it to the site, Glover had to attach and configure an articulating, portable foot restraint that would connect his feet to the arm. Before the maneuver, Hopkins did a quick helmet absorption pad (HAP) check to make sure nothing was leaking inside the suit.
Once secure on the arm, and with help from Rubins inside the orbiting laboratory, Glover “flew” over to the camera’s site, with the blue hues of the Atlantic Ocean swirling hazily below. Glover successfully replaced the broken camera on the starboard truss, the first of three cameras to be installed during the spacewalk. To do this, Glover used a pistol grip tool (PGT), which astronauts use to remove and install bolts during spacewalks.
Next, as the crew flew into orbital nighttime, Hopkins and Glover moved to work on two other camera systems on the space station. The pair worked to install a new HD camera on the U.S. Destiny laboratory module and then Hopkins worked to replace pieces of the camera system on the remote manipulator system on the Japanese robotic arm.
Glover then moved to exit the foot restraint on Canadarm2, jokingly saying, “I’d fly with ‘Air Rubins’ anytime,” as astronaut Rubins commanded the arm as he rode it.
At this point, just about four hours into the spacewalk, the astronauts had completed all major tasks set out for the event and moved on to “get ahead” tasks, or extra objectives that would otherwise be done during a later spacewalk.
During this final stretch of the spacewalk, Hopkins removed an additional H-fixture and took photos of the space station’s exterior to document its current state. Glover prepared the foot restraint configuration (that he earlier used for the robotic arm ride) for a future spacewalk. Glover also removed and replaced an airlock magnet, a metal plate that helps to keep the thermal cover on the space station’s Quest Joint Airlock closed.
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins (right) and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi (left) watch and wait for NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover to return from a spacewalk on Feb. 1, 2021. (Image credit: NASA)
Five hours and 20 minutes after they began, at 1:16 p.m. EST (1816 GMT), the astronauts began repressurizing the airlock and the spacewalk was officially over.
“Just want to say thank you to the entire … Farmer and vincent and everybody else, well done … i think we had a very very very good day … Thanks to everyone,” Hopkins said as the spacewalk ended.
Following today’s spacewalk, the Expedition 64 astronauts will conduct two additional spacewalks in the near future, according to NASA. Next, Glover and Rubins will prepare the space station’s power system for the installation of new solar arrays and, in the spacewalk after that, Rubins and Noguchi will continue to upgrade space station components, according to NASA. The exact dates for those spacewalks have not yet been set.
Today’s spacewalk coincides with the first day of Black History Month. Glover, who completed today’s spacewalk with Hopkins, is the first Black astronaut to take part in a long-duration mission on the station, staying for over six months as part of Expedition 64 and Expedition 65. Glover, who launched to the space station on Nov. 15, 2020, as part of SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission, is only the 15th Black astronaut to ever reach space.
“It is something to be celebrated once we accomplish it, and, you know, I am honored to be in this position and to be a part of this great and experienced crew,” Glover said during a 2020 news conference before he launched to the space station. “And I look forward to getting up there and doing my best to make sure that, you know, we are worthy of all the work that’s been put into setting us up for this mission.”
This spacewalk also coincides with the anniversary of the loss of STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia mission that, on Feb. 1, 2003, ended in tragedy the shuttle broke up while returning to Earth, killing all seven astronauts on board: Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, William McCool and Ilan Ramon. The crew had successfully made it to space, where they spent 16 days and performed about 80 experiments before attempting to return to Earth.
An investigation determined that during launch, a large piece of foam fell from the shuttle’s external tank and hit the spacecraft’s wing. That damage caused the shuttle’s reentry failure. This tragic event moved NASA to take a hard look at their safety protocols and internal workplace culture to prioritize future astronaut safety.
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
During one of the most politically divisive years in recent memory, the number of active hate groups in the U.S. actually declined as far-right extremists migrated further to online networks, reflecting a splintering of white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups that are more difficult to track.
In its annual report, released Monday, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it identified 838 active hate groups operating across the U.S. in 2020. That’s a decrease from the 940 documented in 2019 and the record-high of 1,020 in 2018, said the law center, which tracks racism, xenophobia and anti-government militias.
“It is important to understand that the number of hate groups is merely one metric for measuring the level of hate and racism in America, and that the decline in groups should not be interpreted as a reduction in bigoted beliefs and actions motivated by hate,” said the report, first shared exclusively with The Associated Press.
The Montgomery, Alabama-based law center said many hate groups have moved to social media platforms and use of encrypted apps, while others have been banned altogether from mainstream social media networks.
During one of the most politically divisive years in recent memory, far-right extremists migrated further to online networks, leading to a decline in active hate groups last year. (Feb. 1)
Still, the law center said, online platforms allow individuals to interact with hate and anti-government groups without becoming members, maintain connections with likeminded people, and take part in real-world actions, such as last month’s siege on the U.S. Capitol.
White nationalist organizations, a subset of the hate groups listed in the report, declined last year from 155 to 128. Those groups had seen huge growth the previous two years after being energized by Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency, the report said.
The number of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ hate groups remained largely stable, while their in-person organizing was hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Bottom line, the levels of hate and bigotry in America have not diminished, said SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang.
“What’s important is that we start to reckon with all the reasons why those groups have persisted for so long and been able to get so much influence in the last White House, that they actually feel emboldened,” Huang told the AP.
Last month, as President Joe Biden’s administration began settling in, the Department of Homeland Security issued an early national terrorism bulletin in response to a growing threat from home-grown extremists, including anti-government militias and white supremacists. The extremists are coalescing under a broader, more loosely affiliated movement of people who reject democratic institutions and multiculturalism, Huang said.
The SPLC’s report comes out nearly a month after a mostly white mob of Trump supporters and members of far-right groups violently breached the U.S. Capitol building. At least five deaths have been linked to the assault, including a Capitol police officer. Some in the mob waved Confederate battle flags and wore clothing with neo-Nazi symbolism.
Federal authorities have made more than 160 arrests and sought hundreds more for criminal charges related to the deadly Jan. 6 assault. Authorities have also linked roughly 30 defendants to a group or movement, according to an AP review of court records.
That includes seven defendants linked to QAnon, a once-fringe internet conspiracy movement that recently grew into a powerful force in mainstream conservative politics; six linked to the Proud Boys, a misogynistic, anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic group with ties to white supremacism; four linked to the Oath Keepers, a paramilitary organization that recruits current and former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel; four linked to the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia movement; and two leaders of “Super Happy Fun America,” a group with ties to white nationalists known for organizing a so-called “straight pride” parade in downtown Boston in 2019.
Bipartisan critics of Trump have blamed him for inciting the attack on the Capitol, which some far-right groups have declared a success and are using as a recruitment tool to grow membership, according to the SPLC.
The final year of the Trump presidency, marked by a wide-ranging reckoning over systemic racism, also propelled racist conspiracy theories and white nationalist ideology into the political mainstream, the law center said.
According to an SPLC survey conducted in August, 29% of respondents said they personally know someone who believes that white people are the superior race. The poll also found that 51% of Americans thought the looting and vandalism that occurred across the country around Black Lives Matter demonstrations was a bigger problem than excessive force by police.
Protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd last May spurred a push to make the November election a referendum on white supremacy. Nestled in Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud was a reality that turnout among Black and Hispanic voters played a significant role in handing victory to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and first person of Black and South Asian heritage to hold that office.
During his inaugural address, Biden issued a strong repudiation of white supremacy and domestic terrorism, which is rare for such consequential speeches.
Full Coverage: Race and ethnicity
The SPLC made several recommendations for the new administration in its latest report. It called for establishing offices within the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the FBI to monitor, investigate and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism. It also urged improving federal hate crime data collection, training, and prevention; and for enacting federal legislation that shifts funding away from punishment models and toward preventing violent extremism.
People who support or express hatred and bigotry are not always card-carrying members of far-right groups. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be activated into violence, said Christian Picciolini, a former far-right extremist and founder of the Free Radicals Project, a group that helps people disengage from hate organizations.
It also doesn’t mean that they can’t be reached and deradicalized, he said.
“We have to have kind of a dual approach to stop what’s happening now, but also to make sure that we are not creating a problem for us in the future, to understand how the propaganda is spread that is recruiting these people,” Picciolini said.
“Right now, it’s in a very self-service format online,” he added. “We’re facing a really big problem.”
___
Morrison reported from New York. AP writer Michael Kunzelman contributed from College Park, Maryland.
___
Morrison is a member of the AP’s Race & Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.
Dozens of US airline pilots have reported making ‘mistakes’ because they are ‘rusty’ after returning to the skies following months of lockdown due to the pandemic, a NASA watchdog has reported.
Air travel has been at its lowest demand in decades as a result of COVID-19, which shut down many international flights as countries tried to curb the virus.
Now pilots getting back into the captain’s seat have told ‘s NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System that since May they have been making dozens of ‘mistakes’ because they are out of practice.
Errors include forgetting to disengage the parking break on take off, taking three attempts to land the plane on a windy day, choosing the wrong runway and forgetting to turn on the anti-icing mechanism that prevents the altitude and airspeed sensors from freezing.
So far, there have been no reported incidents of out-of-practice pilots causing accidents that have injured passengers.
Whilst aviation experts say they are confident in the safety of flights they warn of the need for pilots returning to work after months away to receive extra training sessions, with some US airlines starting to provide it.
Dozens of pilots have told NASA’s anonymous Aviation Safety Reporting System that they have made ‘mistakes’ due to being ‘rusty’ as a result of fewer flights during the pandemic. Pictured is a Boeing 767-323 cargo jet takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on January 13, 2021. It’s not clear which airlines the pilots flew for
Aviation experts say they are confident in the skills of pilots and the airlines providing them extra training after months in lockdown
One officer, who did not turn his de-icing system on, told the NASA watchdog: ‘Because I had not flown in a few months, I was rusty. I felt that my recollection was strong enough, but in reality I should have taken some time to review’ the standard operating procedures, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Another pilot accidentally lined up to land on the wrong runway, while a different pilot accidentally disengaged autopilot and a first officer made an unusually steep turn after misreading instruments in the cockpit.
In each case, the pilots and first officers blamed the errors on being out of practice.
In September, a first officer on a commercial jet reported having misjudged the distance to the runway during a landing and causing the plane to descend too low. Instead of aborting the landing and circling the airport for another try — the safest option — the first officer made last-minute adjustments to land.
‘Contributing factors included light turbulence requiring constant power adjustments,’ the first officer said.
They added: ‘Also, lack of recent flight time due to taking leave — this was my first approach/landing in a number of weeks on top of very limited flight time in the past six months.’
During an incident in October when a pilot forgot to take off the parking break they said it had been ’40 days since my last flight.’
They added: ‘We are flying less, so we need to be even more attentive. Better attention to detail.’
NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System was developed so that pilots and other airline crew members could anonymously report mechanical glitches and human errors without fear of reprisal from airplane manufacturers or airline management.
International and domestic flights plummeted, and in the case of some destinations, ceased completely last year. Leading many pilots to feel out of practice once they got back in the air. Pictured is a JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 taking off from Los Angeles international Airport on January 13, 2021
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bars pilots from flying a commercial jet unless they have performed three takeoffs and three landings — either on a plane or in a simulator — in the previous 90 days
Airline experts have long acknowledged that when pilots are inactive for long periods their skills decline quickly and they are prone to making errors, like flying too fast or too high during a landing or forgetting to get clearance from the air traffic control tower before descending to a lower altitude.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bars pilots from flying a commercial jet unless they have performed three takeoffs and three landings- either on a plane or simulator- in the last 90-days.
But the FAA amended that requirement twice last year, giving pilots more leeway, though so far no US airline has reported a pilot needing to use it.
In April and May, the number of daily takeoffs in the US dropped to about 75% below pre-pandemic levels.
In recent months, the number of takeoffs has risen to 43% below pre-pandemic times, according to industry data.
As a result, some pilots have been brought back to work after being away for up to four months.
Last week Delta Air Lines announced that it planned to bring back about 400 pilots by summer in hopes that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will boost demand for travel.
Aviation experts say there are enough backup systems in modern passenger jets to prevent minor oversights from becoming serious accidents.
Richard G. McSpadden Jr, senior vice president at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute, said: ‘The key to flying safely is frequency. You are not as sharp if you haven’t flown for a while.’
However, the International Air Transport Association, a trade group for the world’s airlines, reported a steep increase last spring in the rate of planes making ‘unstable approaches’, which typically occur when pilots try to land at too high a speed or without enough thrust and have to make last-minute adjustments.
The airlines group reported that the rate of ‘unstable approaches’ jumped from about 13 or 14 for every 1,000 flights before the pandemic to more than 35 per 1,000 in May.
The problem of unstable approaches increased in airports around the world in the spring and summer of 2020, the group said, but the rate returned to pre-pandemic levels in the last few months.
But many experts say they are not concerned. Kenneth P. Byrnes, chairman of the Flight Training Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said that commercial passenger jets always fly with a pilot and a co-pilot to reduce the odds of pilot error.
He said: ‘I’m comfortable with the safety requirements. I don’t think there is an imminent danger.’
Mark Searle, global director for safety at the International Air Transport Association, said he has faith that pilots are on top of their need to do more training.
‘If they adhere to standard operation procedures that we practice, I don’t think there is much of an issue,’ he said.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association recently offered a video series on its website to help out-of-practice pilots sharpen their flying skills.
The series includes tutorials on using the radio to communicate with an air traffic control tower and tips on making a smoother landing.
American Airlines, one of the world’s largest carriers, was also worried about pilots being out of practice, so it began more frequent reviews of its data on pilot performance.
The pilot data from 2020 showed no loss in proficiency, said Kimball Stone, American Airlines’ senior vice president of flight operations.
‘There has been no degradation of skills,’ he said.
Clare Crawley is speaking out after her split from fiancé Dale Moss.
During an Instagram Live on Friday, the former Bachelorette said that she has been privately “struggling” for a while, particularly with anxiety, but now she’s ready to be more vulnerable with her fans.
“I think when you open yourself up to share what you’re going through, not as a victim, but as like, vulnerability, and more as just like the human side of you, with your friends, with your family, with the public, with people, as much as you want to share — mine more so happens to be a lot more public than most people — but I think when we share our struggles, it gives people the opportunity to relate to it, and to share their struggles,” Crawley said.
The reality star added that as she has opened up, she’s heard from fans that are facing similar situations.
RELATED: Clare Crawley Was ‘Blindsided’ by ‘Painful and Emotional’ Dale Moss Split, Source Says
Crawley thanked fans who have shared their own stories with her, and encouraged people to open up to their loved ones.
“The ones that love you support you,” she said.
However, not everyone has been so supportive, with Crawley saying “you guys would be disgusted at” the messages she was receiving after her season of the Bachelorette, which was cut short when she chose Moss as her final suitor and he proposed.
Crawley said cruel messages combined with being the Bachelorette, the pandemic, and also caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s and dementia, has meant she has found herself battling anxiety and experiencing panic attacks.
“I’m getting to the point now where I’m trying really hard to come back from that and make a U-turn because it’s a dark place to be in when you’ve got a lot of stuff compiled on each other.”
However, in her Live on Friday, Crawley said despite going through a tough time, that she is trying to practice gratitude by “listing 10 things before I even opened my eyes in the morning that I’m grateful for.”
“My idea of love and to be loved is to have all of our that we go through, all the stuff that we experienced in life, whether it’s whatever you want to call it, like baggage, experiences, traumas, whatever we go through, whatever we carry with us, show up with it,” she said.
“And to know … in spite of all that, like you are loved and you will be loved by the right person for all that you bring to the table, whether it’s the good, the bad, everything that we bring to the table, the right person is going to love you for that.”
RELATED: The Bachelorette‘s Clare Crawley Breaks Silence After Dale Moss Split: ‘The Truth Is I Am Crushed’
Last week, Moss announced that he and Crawley had broken up.
“I wanted share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we’ve received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time,” he said in a statement on Instagram.
“We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself – something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives,” he added. “We only hope the best things for one another. – DM.”
Crawley, however, said two days later that she was “made aware of a ‘mutual’ statement at the same time you all were.”
“I’ve needed some time to really digest this,” she said, adding that she was “crushed” by the breakup.
A source told PEOPLE that Moss “wasn’t ready for marriage and kids” and that “things only got tougher after the show when they had to start making big life decisions.”
If you or someone you know need mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
A California man was arrested Tuesday after federal authorities said he sent threatening text messages to family members of a New York City congressman and journalist.
Prosecutors allege that Robert Lemke, 35, of Bay Point, California, sent a Jan. 6 text to a family member of an unidentified journalist, saying that person’s “words are putting you and your family at risk,” according to a federal criminal complaint out of New York City.
“We are nearby armed and ready,” the suspect allegedly said in one text described in the document. “Thousands of us are active/retired law enforcement, military, etc. That’s how we do it.”
Also on Jan. 6, prosecutors said Lemke texted the brother of an unidentified congressman and included a picture of a home in the brother’s neighborhood.
“Your brother is putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words. We are armed and nearby your house,” he allegedly said in the text. “You had better have a word with him. We are not far from his either. Already spoke to [Congressman-1’s son] and know where his kids are.”
The suspect believed disinformation that President Joe Biden did not win November’s election, authorities said.
In the text to the lawmaker’s brother, authorities said Lemke wrote: “your words have consequences. Stop telling lies; Biden did not win, he will not be president. “
He went on to say that he and others who opposed Biden’s win are not white supremacists and claimed “most of us are active/retired law enforcement or military.”
Lemke allegedly warned: “Don’t risk their safety with your words and lies.”
Lemke was arrested at about 6 a.m. PT and he’s expected to make his initial appearance in a federal courtroom in San Francisco, about 35 miles southwest of his home, on Wednesday, officials said.
Members of Lemke’s family could not be reached for comment at several publicly listed phone numbers for them in Northern California on Tuesday afternoon. The Office of the Federal Public Defender was not immediately retained to defend hm, a supervisor with the agency’s San Francisco office said.
Lemke was apparently active on Facebook to express his support for Trump and other causes. Lemke’s Facebook account included a background image of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who pointed their guns at Black Lives Matter demonstrators outside their home this summer, authorities said.
Shortly after the election, authorities said Lemke wrote on Facebook: “Folks. Be ready for war. rum has refused to cede. Evidence shows fraud occurred and the Supreme Court cases will be successful.”
Also on his social media, Lemke said he was a retired Air Force captain and Alameda County Sheriff’s sergeant, according to the criminal complaint.
However, the Air Force had no record of a Robert Lemke matching his description ever having served, the Pentagon said Tuesday afternoon.
The FBI contacted the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month about Lemke and agents were told no one of that name had ever been employed by the department, Sgt. Ray Kelly told NBC News.
“That man never worked here,” Kelly said. “I talked to the FBI weeks ago. He made it up. It’s like me saying, ‘I worked at NBC with Tom Brokaw.'”
For weeks after the election, Trump made continuous baseless claims that he was cheated out winning the November election.
The former president’s misinformation campaign culminated in a deadly Jan. 6 riot when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and delayed Congress formally accepting the Electoral College vote that delivered the White House to Biden. Five people died as a result of violence.
Tom Winter
Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Jonathan Dienst
Jonathan Dienst is a reporter for WNBC-TV in New York, leading its investigative reporting team and covering justice and law enforcement issues.
David K. Li
David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
It was 2020 when Sony surprised the world, or at least the CES attendees, with a show car. Called the Vision-S Concept, it’s an electric sedan that aims to drive itself and with the tech giant behind the project, we could say that more than a handful of people were hopeful that it would reach production.
A year later, Sony showcased the Vision-S to the public again, but this time in a public road testing in Europe, which naturally sparked hope among production version hopefuls. Sony is indeed in constant development of the concept, but it won’t reach production – not as a Sony-branded car anyway.
18Photos
That revelation came from a Sony spokesperson who told Car and Driver that the company “have no plans to mass-produce or sell the vehicle.”
So, yes, no matter how beautifully-designed the Vision-S Concept was, it’s just a testbed for future automobile technologies, particularly in terms of safety and reliability in autonomous driving, as well as enhancing in-car entertainment and overall experience.
The Vision-S Concept currently has Level 2+ autonomous vehicle capabilities, limited to adaptive cruise control, a self-parking system, and automatic lane changing. Obviously, the tech giant isn’t stopping there, with Level 4 in its sight.
In terms of technology, the Vision-S Concept also touts a sophisticated stereo with the company’s 360 Reality Audio system, creating a sphere of sound per person. Of course, with 5G connection on board, playing video games while on the road is a must.
Imaging, optics, and entertainment, among others – Sony is showing us that its technologies can transcend to automobiles. Don’t be surprised if one day a self-driving EV will arrive with Sony components. When that happens, you should remember there was once a good-looking Sony-branded car that catered its development.
