Cornell 7 frat brother makes explosive claim saying that Jane Doe assaulted him.

 

The Chi Phi frat house at Cornell. New York Post.

A fraternity member accused of sexual assault in the Cornell 7 case has made and explosive counter-claim that the Jane Doe in the case actually assaulted him. New York Post. Matthew Ingalls made the statement during Cornell's internal investigation into the incident. Ingalls said that while he was passed out, Jane Doe "sodomized" him (referring to oral sex). Ingalls also said that university was aware that he made the claims against Jane Doe but did not receive any assistance or help because of his gender. Doe's own account said that Ingalls passed out multiple times during the initial sexual encounter. Ingalls was expelled by Cornell after the investigation, and no one has faced charges in the case. 

My Comment:

When I first read about this case I thought that by Jane Doe's original statement, it was very possible that she sexually assaulted at least one of the brothers under New York Law. Male #1 and Male #2 in her statement were showing signs of extreme intoxication and even she admitted that Male #1, Matthew Ingalls, had passed out during the sex. She claimed she stopped having sex with him then, but Ingalls now claims that he was assaulted as he was passed out. 

Indeed, the accusations against Jane Doe are a lot less legally ambiguous than the accusations she made. Under New York Law simple intoxication isn't enough, you have to be drugged against your will. Nothing in Doe's original statement said that she was drugged against her will. 

However, Ingalls accusation is a lot more cut and dry. If he was passed out while Doe was giving him oral sex, that's unambiguously rape. There isn't a legal question there, it's pretty explicit, having sex with an unconscious person, even just oral sex, is highly illegal and if Jane Doe did so she should be charged and convicted.  

Ingalls isn't the only one who has accused Jane Doe of wrong doing. Another brother, Gillio Lopes, said that Jane Doe initiated sexual contact with him without his consent. Again, this is a bit more cut and dry as it doesn't have much to do with how intoxicated Lopes was. Legally, it probably doesn't reach the standard of sexual assault under New York Law, but it would be a violation of Cornell's sexual assault guidelines. 

Of course, people's reactions to these new accusations against Jane Doe will probably tell more about them than the actual facts of this case. I think the feminist supporters of Jane Doe will, at best, not update their priors at all and will simply dismiss the claims of Ingalls and Lopes. At worse they will claim they are making it up. Supporters of the Cornell 7 will likely say this proves that Jane Doe was lying about everything and that at least Ingalls and Lopes were the actual victims. 

However, it's very possible that both groups are wrong and both Ingalls and Jane Doe assaulted each other. If we take both Ingalls and Doe's statements at face value and "believe the victims" than that is what happened. It's very possible that Ingalls passed out, Jane Doe assaulted him, he wakes up, Doe passes out and he assaults her. Then both of them are felons! And, of course, it's not proof either way for the rest of the frat brothers named in the lawsuit, especially the three that said they had no sexual contact with Jane Doe whatsoever. 

I think the ambiguity over this case and the obvious questions over the law more than justifies the fact that this case never made it to an arrest. Ingalls does have a credible claim that he was a victim and Jane Doe is not a good witness given she changed her story. Without clear evidence proving either side is telling the truth, a conviction would be unlikely. Indeed, I think that the original Cornell case outcome is almost fair, two brothers were kicked out for their behavior, which even if Jane Doe's accusations are false, would still be a violation of Cornell's policies, not to mention the drug use. It would be fair if Jane Doe had been expelled too, as, again, without any judgement to the truth to the claims, still voluntarily took illegal drugs. 

What I do think is true is that Cornell did discriminate against Ingalls. If he did indeed report Jane Doe for assault, there should have been an investigation into his claims. I do think that this was not done because Ingalls was a man. He might have a lawsuit against Cornell as well. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, under the laws of the United States, he had just as much of a right to have his accusations examined as Jane Doe. 

Finally, I do think that this case is a lot more complex than folks want to make it out to be. It's an extremely messy and complicated one where there may have been multiple victims. It's not an open and shut case of sexual assault or a clear cut false accusation. And the truth of the matter is that without actual physical evidence or a witness that doesn't have an incentive to lie, we probably won't ever know what exactly happened and who did what to whom. 

It's he-said she-said all the way down and it's a major reason why it's frustrating that this case blew up the way it did. I know some of that is the Democrats trying to blow it up to get young women to vote in the midterms, but honestly this is a case of generating heat, not light. What I do know is that it is pouring fuel on an already raging gender war. 

US pulls B-1B bomber fleet out of RAF Fairford after continuing terror threat.

 

A B-1B Lancer at RAF Fairford. 

The United States has pulled out the B-1B Lancer bomber fleet out of RAF Fairford after a continuing terror threat. NBC News. 12 of the bombers flew out on Sunday after continued threats to the base. Last week, five men were arrested for a possible terror plot while a sixth was arrested as well. All of the suspects were released on bail. Additional threats were reported, including the possibility of a drone attack on the base. Pulling the planes out of RAF Fairford will not prevent the B-1B bombers from striking Iran or other targets but will make any operation more complex and will use more fuel. Iran is suspected in organizing the terror threat against RAF Fairford. 

My Comment:

This is pretty embarrassing for both the United States and the United Kingdom. Pulling these planes out is an admission that the base can't really be defended. Given the lack of security and the fact that nobody answered the phones when the initial incident occurred, it does seem clear that the threat is real. 

The fact that this is embarrassing does not mean that this isn't the right choice. The last time I wrote about this, I mentioned that the B-1B Lancers are irreplaceable. The factory that made them does not do so anymore and we only have about 45 of them, though a few more could be reactivated, the fact is that every airframe is irreplaceable. Losing even one of these jets would greatly damage our capabilities and losing as many as 12 would be a disaster of epic proportions. 

Indeed, the only replacement for the B-1B would be the B-21 Raider, but those are not in wide production. And even if we were to rush them due to the loss of some B-1B airframes, we can only make a few each year given the complexity and expense of the planes. It does raise the question that perhaps we need an additional bomber to make up for the fact that the Raider is the only bomber in production right now. 

I do think that this threat is real. The initial attack now seems like a "dry run" for an actual attack. The initial men only had fuel and no explosives and they were able to threaten the base even with that. A real attack, perhaps involving either drones or explosives, could have done serious damage to the base and the planes stationed there. 

Indeed, we may still see an attack, either at RAF Fairford or some other strategic target in the United Kingdom. Though the B-1B's have been evacuated from the base, there are still US troops there. And there are other bases in the UK or Europe in general that could be chosen as targets instead. Those bases won't have B-1B Lancers but they absolutely could have other targets and the troops at those bases could be targets themselves. 

I do have to say that even if an attack does not happen, this is still a minor victory for Iran. Like I said, the optics of it aren't good and you can't really argue that the threat was enough to push the B-1B's out. It's a minor victory in a war where Iran has been devastated, but a victory nonetheless. The B-1B's can still hit Iran, of course, but the look is not good. 

On a related, but separate topic, I do worry that we could see a terror attack somewhere on October 7th. That is the anniversary of the 2023 attack that started the Gaza War. Muslim terrorists are big on anniversaries and the October 7th attacks were the last major successful one. There was some speculation that the RAF Fairford incident could have been a dry run for an attack on the base on that date, though that is just speculation. But it is very possible the attack, or a unrelated one, could occur on that date. 

Is Russia covering up a plague lab leak?

 

Daria Shipilova along with her coworkers. New York Post/government handout. 

An outbreak of plague is possible after a woman died after being exposed to the bacteria in her work at an anti-plague institute. New York Post. Daria Shipilova died after developing pneumonia after contracting the disease. She had told medical officials that she had broken a vial containing the bacterium that causes the plague, Y. Pestis. She then fell ill and passed away. So far contact tracing has not found any other people infected with the disease. However, questions are being raised by the circumstances of the case with people questioning why Shipilova was not wearing a protective suit. 

My Comment:

Two things can be true at the same time. This is not a major incident, despite the fact that it's gaining a lot of media attention, and that Russia is probably engaging in a coverup. There are real questions how Shipilova contracted the virus and I do question the official story. But I am also not worried about a 2nd Black Death. 

Plague is still no laughing matter. It is a dangerous disease and it regularly kills people. It does spread via close contact and, famously, spreads through insects like fleas. There have been major plague pandemics in the past and there are still minor outbreaks every year. Indeed, the United States usually has a few cases each year due to rodents in the Southwest. 

With that being said, a large outbreak is unlikely. Unlike something like the Coronavirus, Y. Pestis does not spread as easily. It can spread if you get coughed on but it doesn't spread easily. And unlike many other diseases, common antibiotics are able to treat the disease easily. The fact that no new cases have popped up is a good sign that it probably won't happen. 

Indeed, I am not surprised that there was an accident like this. Lab accidents aren't uncommon and though the COVID pandemic was likely caused by a lab leak, incidents like this are a lot more common. 

What is unclear is how Shipilova contracted the plague in the first place. The standard for working with Y. Pestis is to have a full suit, it's a level 3 pathogen and people are supposed to take major precautions while working with it. However, the "broken vial" theory is not the only rumor out there. There are also rumors of field work near Mongolia or a trip to Thailand, both of which could have been the true source of the infection. 

In any case, it is clear that Russia is both taking this incident seriously and aren't really telling the truth about what has happened. Indeed, their story keeps changing. My guess, given the utter notoriety of the pathogen involved, they want to keep panic at a minimum, especially as it looks like an outbreak is unlikely. There is evidence that a panic is happening anyways, given that the article mentioned a possible shortage of antibiotics. 

So what really happened? I am not sure. I do think it's very likely that Shipilova was exposed after breaking a vial. Was she wearing a suit? Possibly, though it wouldn't be the first time that a lab worker in a lab cut corners. But it's more likely that her suit failed, either due to incompetence or accident. It's possible while breaking the vial, she also cut her suit open, or the suit had a filter failure. 

Either way, I don't think this is a very serious incident. I don't expect an outbreak to happen and it already seems like the incident has been contained. This wasn't a weaponized pathogen either, the anti-plague institute is legitimate and not a germ warfare lab. Russia's secrecy and confusion about the actual incident is concerning, but beyond that I have no worries. Like I said, plague isn't that uncommon and neither are lab leaks like this. 

Japan raises fee for permanent residency in effort to control immigration.

 

File photo of Japan. BBC/Getty. 

Japan has raised the fee for permanent residency in an effort to control immigration. BBC. The price has increased 20 times to $1270. Permanent residences will also meant new income, pension and Japanese language requirements. The visa hike is the first in 50 years. Immigration is a hot-button issue in Japan as the country tries to balance an aging population with a labor shortage. Japan's foreign born population was at 4.12 million, a 9.5% increase in 2025. 

My Comment:

As one of the last homogonous Western countries, it is nice to see Japan taking steps to preserve their country from unlimited immigration. This means that Japan will probably have a much brighter future than most Western countries, barring a huge war with China or some act of God. 

Indeed, these restrictions seem like common sense to me. Folks have to pay to play and if they don't they can't stay. They have to work while they are in Japan and make a decent amount of money while doing it and they also have to contribute to pension funds. And, they have to speak the language too! It's like a wish list for what we should have here in America. 

Japan also seems to realize that bringing in millions of people that don't respect the local culture and act however they want is a bad thing. Japan does have a labor shortage, mostly due to an aging population, but the solution to that is not immigration. Some immigration is being allowed but the path the citizenship is hard to attain and citizenship is based on blood, not soil. 

So why are they restricting things now? In short, some of the migrants brought in under the previous administration were not well behaved. Japan has seen a minor uptick in crime, but the source has been migrants. And there have been several high profile incidents of foreigners acting terribly, be they immigrants or immigrants, and that led to the conservative government getting into power and restricting things. Imagine that, a problem arises and the voters elect people to deal with it! It's not just crime, it's the fact that a lot of these people were not fitting in with Japan's culture of respect and cleanliness. 

This new fee structure probably won't do a whole lot. The new restrictions and fees will make it a little harder for less desirable folks to get in while still allowing a few people in to help with the labor shortage. And those people won't automatically become citizens. It might not be a permanent solution for Japan but it's a lot better than what we are doing here in the United States. 

Attempted hijacking foiled by passengers and crew.

 

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu hugs Yaniv Hayoun still covered in blood. New York Post/GPO.

An attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight out of Dubai was foiled by passengers and crew. New York Post. The captain of the flight, Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, was attacked and stabbed by his copilot. Machchhar was able to alert his crew that he was under attack. He unlocked the cabin and allowed civilians to help subdue the copilot. One of those passengers, Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli plumber, helped subdue the attacker as he was pounding on the control panels. He and other passengers were able to subdue the copilot. Hayoun was then able to pull the plane out of a dive due to watching the program Mayday (Air Crash Investigations in the United States). The pilot was able to help at that point and two off-duty pilots were able to land the plane. Hayoun then met with Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu still covered in blood. 

My Comment:

This was a very serious incident and it could have, at the very least, resulted in the deaths of everyone on the plane. The copilot was attempting to sabotage the plane and it was diving. If it weren't for the actions of the pilot, Smit Machchhar and the passengers, including Yaniv Hayoun, this plane would have been destroyed. 

What isn't clear is if this was an attempt to just destroy the plane or if it was an attempt to pull off a 9/11 style attack on Israel itself. Given the circumstances of this incident I am guessing the first scenario is more likely. Given that he was smashing the controls, I am guessing the copilot simply wanted to crash the plane in the Saudi Arabian desert. 

A 9/11 style ramming attack isn't impossible though. It could be that was the copilots original plan but it was disrupted by the pilot, who managed to unlock the cockpit. At that point his plot may have been foiled, and much like United Airlines Flight 93, tried to put the plane on the ground to at least accomplish something. Thankfully that did not come to pass. 

This is pretty clearly an attack on Israel and Israeli citizens. The majority of people on the flight were Israelis returning from Dubai and there is little doubt in my mind that that was the entire point. I doubt that there is going to be any other motive for this attack. 

What is unclear is if the copilot had any help. My guess is that this was a lone wolf attack and one that did not have any involvement with a wider terror network. I am guessing he may have been radicalized online at worst, but this was probably his plan and he didn't get any help.  

Regardless of his actual plan or his alignment to any terror groups, what is clear is that the passengers and crew were heroes here. All of them had to act to save themselves and stop this attack. There were multiple points of failure here that were avoided. 

First, the pilot had to survive long enough to open the door and alert the crew. Then the passengers, along with Hayoun, had to fight and subdue the attacker. Finally, there had to be pilots on board to actually land the plane as I doubt Machchhar would have been able to do so at that point. I do hope that the pilot makes a full recovery from his wounds too, he's a hero, along with the people that fought and the pilots that took over.