May 8, 2018

9/11 architect asked to give Intel Committee information on Haspel

Haley Britzky

Razor wire tops the fence of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the main planner of the 9/11 attacks, has asked permission from a Guantánamo Bay military judge to give six paragraphs of information about CIA nominee Gina Haspel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to the New York Times.

What we don't know: It's unclear what information KSM has, or why senators should trust it. KSM was tortured, but he was held in prisons in Afghanistan and Poland — not Thailand, which was overseen by Haspel. Per the Times, it's unknown whether Haspel "was involved, directly or indirectly" in KSM's torture.

The details: KSM was waterboarded 183 times, "slammed into a wall, given rectal rehydrations without medical need, shackled into painful stress positions and sleep deprived for about a week," and more, per the Times.

  • His lawyer, Marine Lt. Col. Derek A. Poteet, said KSM's defense attorney's "agreed that the information was important."

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Focus group: Minnesota swing voters balk at Trump's Easter deadline

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A group of Midwestern swing voters that supported President Trump's handling of the coronavirus less than two weeks ago is balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter, saying they'll tolerate business closures for as long as it takes to contain the spread.

Why it matters: Their feedback suggests that some voters otherwise mostly supportive of the president — and who still see financial threats outpacing health threats — aren't so tired of social distancing that they're willing to risk ending it too quickly.

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 607,965 — Total deaths: 28,125 — Total recoveries: 132,688.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 104,837 — Total deaths: 1,711 — Total recoveries: 894.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
  4. State updates: North Carolina is latest state to issue stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month.
  5. World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day.
  6. Business latest: President Trump authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to direct General Motors to build ventilators for those affected by COVID-19. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been appointed to enforce the act.
  7. 🏰 1 Disney thing: Both Disney World and Disneyland theme parks in the U.S. are closed until further notice.
  8. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

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