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A key figure in a trucker protest that jammed Canada's capital and sparked a global movement against Covid mandates was found guilty Friday for his role in the blockade. The self-styled "Freedom Convoy" of big rig drivers and protesters rolled into Ottawa in early 2022 from across Canada to express anger at government protocols imposed to contain Covid-19. After three weeks of turmoil, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked rarely used emergency powers to dislodge the protesters. Pat King was among hundreds of people arrested, and the first of the protest leaders to be convicted. Two other organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber faced a separate criminal trial but those verdicts are not expected until 2025. King faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted on five charges, including mischief, counselling others to commit mischief and disobeying a court order. Acquitted of more serious charges, he smiled at a packed courtroom of supporters as the judge read the verdict. "Mr King was not merely engaging in political speech," Justice Charles Hackland said. "Rather, he was inciting the protesters to continue their ongoing blockade of downtown Ottawa." King led hundreds of big rigs and thousands of protestors to Ottawa, bringing the capital to a standstill for more than three weeks. Residents and business owners complained of incessant honking and harassment. As the demonstrators' demands expanded to a broader anti-establishment agenda, solidarity rallies popped up at Canada-US trade corridors and various places abroad. Most of the evidence at trial consisted of videos King posted on social media in which he urged his nearly 300,000 followers to rail against government overreach. "Hold the line," he said in video posts, appearing also to delight in the gridlock and misery of locals: "Pretty hilarious that people haven't been able to sleep for 10 days." Trudeau faced strong criticisms from civil liberties groups and the opposition Conservatives for invoking the Emergencies Act to dislodge the protestors. But a commission of inquiry ruled it had been "appropriate," calling it "a drastic move, but... not a dictatorial one." amc/bs/bfmIndeed it did. Democrat Adam Gray's come-from-behind victory over Republican Rep. John Duarte in a Central Valley farm-belt district Tuesday — the final House contest decided this year — gave Democrats their third pick-up of a GOP-held seat in the state, a small victory in a tough year for Democrats nationally. While Democratic wins narrowed the gap in the House, Republicans held their ground in two other toss-up contests that helped the GOP defend its fragile majority in Washington. Republicans won 220 House seats this election cycle , with Democrats holding 215 seats. Despite falling short of a majority, Democrats stressed that the party will gain seats next year, leaving the chamber even more closely divided. “Netting three seats was a very big deal,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, the third-ranking Democrat in the chamber, who lives in Redlands, east of Los Angeles, said in Washington. Democratic enthusiasm was tempered, however, by turnout figures that lagged the 2020 presidential election in the heavily Democratic state, even with Kamala Harris leading the Democratic ticket in her home state. Also, Republicans made incremental gains in the state Legislature. Voters overwhelmingly endorsed a ballot proposal that makes shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders again and increases penalties for some drug charges amid frustration over retail crimes, a proposal opposed by some Democrats. The election showed Democrats will need to pay closer attention to issues like crime and the cost of living, even in a state where the party holds every statewide office and dominates the Legislature and congressional delegation, Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney said. In the House, Democrats “were hoping that California would push them over the top to gain a majority. But their gains elsewhere were not strong enough,” Pitney added, pointing to GOP wins in North Carolina. Gray won by a margin of less than 200 votes, with election officials reporting Tuesday all ballots had been counted. Duarte captured the seat in 2022 when he defeated Gray by one of the closest margins in the country, 564 votes. He was often listed among the most vulnerable House Republicans given that narrow margin of victory in a district with a Democratic tilt — about 11 points over registered Republicans. Gray said in a statement: “We always knew that this race would be as close as they come, and we’re expecting a photo finish this year, too.” In other Democratic House gains, first-time candidate Derek Tran ousted Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in a Southern California district anchored in Orange County, while Democrat George Whitesides toppled Republican Rep. Mike Garcia is a district north of Los Angeles. In a district east of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert again held off Democrat Will Rollins in a repeat of their 2022 contest. And Republican Rep. David Valadao kept his grip on a farm-belt seat, despite its heavy Democratic registration edge. The outcome will leave Republicans with nine of the state's 52 U.S. House seats next year. Although California is often seen as a liberal monolith, a string of House districts has proved volatile in recent elections, spotlighting their importance to both parties. Democrats snatched seven seats from Republicans in 2018, then Republicans seized four from Democrats in 2020. In the 2022 elections, Republicans gained one seat, from 11 to 12, while Democrats dropped to 40 seats from 42, after California lost a House seat in reapportionment after the 2020 census. Overall, the state dropped to 52 districts from 53. The state played a pivotal role in securing the gavel for Republicans in 2022 and installing Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield as speaker .

Ange Postecoglou ‘determined to get it right’ after Spurs lose at BournemouthThe Department of the Navy has released a memorandum directing the establishment of an Echelon I organization to help accelerate the development and deployment of mission-driven and user-focused software to warfighters and civilians. SMIO’s Responsibilities DON said Monday the , or SMIO, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, or ASN RD&A, will collaborate with the department’s software practitioners and mission owners to advance enterprise DevSecOps platforms. According to the , SMIO will drive the department’s collaborative customer-focused strategy to advance modernized software development and delivery efforts. The new organization will introduce operating guidance and best practices associated with a software factory ecosystem, or SwFE, including a transparent process for designating and using enterprise DevSecOps platforms, or EDPs. Within 60 days of the memo’s release, the new organization should issue a charter outlining the mission, functions, roles, reporting structure and reported outcomes. The department directs SMIO to design and implement automated metrics and technical data standards to track SwFE’s overall health and provide insight into performance, schedule and cost; leverage diverse pathways to innovation to ensure that the fleet’s requirements are being met and emergent technologies are integrated into SwFE; and work with the Office of the DON Chief Information Officer/Chief Technical Officer on processes, metrics and policies in software containerization, open-source software and application programming interfaces, among key areas. , DON CIO and a Award recipient, signed the memo with ASN RD&A , a previous Wash100 awardee.Want to run for public office in Florida? Don’t use a debit card

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