Man accused of targeting Boise’s LGBTQ+ community pleads guilty to hate crimes
BOISE, Idaho — An Oregon man admitted in federal court in Boise that he committed a spree of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the city last October.
Matthew Lehigh pleaded guilty Thursday to two felony charges of violating the Hate Crimes Prevention Act for separate vehicular assaults, according to a Department of Justice news release. He also acknowledged that he set a Pride flag on fire, broke windows and punched a man after calling him an anti-LGBTQ+ slur.
Lehigh faces 37 to 45 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He must also see a psychiatrist and pay restitution of over $7,000 once he leaves prison, according to the release and a copy of his plea agreement filed in federal court.
“Everyone, no matter who they are, should be free from senseless violence,” Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, said in the release.
—The Idaho Statesman
Breasts are made for feeding. New dads play a key role in successful nursing, safe sleep
LOS ANGELES — Danny Rollins of Compton became a dad just one month ago, when his son Braylen was born. "I can't take my eyes off of him. I love being around him and holding him," he said. "It's really a beautiful thing right now."
Rollins, 32, is taking two months off from his job as a barber to be with his new family, but he's still hard at work. "I'm security, chef, taxi driver. I clean. I've been mainly the one doing the cooking."
But one of his most important roles is being part of his infant's breastfeeding team. When his wife is nursing, he brings her snacks and water, gets the breast pump ready for her after she nurses, and then stores the milk. "Breastfeeding is hard work and it's tiring," he said. "I knew I would have to step up and make sure she had everything she needs."
A supportive dad like Rollins can make a big difference in whether a baby is successfully breastfed, according to a recent study about new fathers published Friday in Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study also found that dads are key to making sure babies are put to bed in a safe sleep environment.
—Los Angeles Times
Michigan man vowed mass killing at East Lansing synagogue, FBI says
DETROIT — FBI agents Friday arrested an Upper Peninsula man accused of threatening a mass killing at an East Lansing synagogue on the fifth anniversary of an attack that killed 51 people in New Zealand.
Seann Patrick Pietila, 19, of Pickford was charged with leveling threats on social media, including Instragram, that included comments about neo-Nazi ideology, anti-semitism and glorifying mass shootings, most notably the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.
His arrest, and search of his family's rural home 45 miles northeast of the Mackinac Bridge, represents the latest case of violent extremism in Michigan, which has drawn national attention since FBI agents foiled a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
A 43-page criminal complaint filed in federal court chronicles an investigation that started three days ago with a tip that someone was threatening on Instagram to commit a mass killing.
—The Detroit News
F-16 planes are a message to Putin: NATO support isn’t waning
The F-16s that NATO allies may send to Ukraine aren’t likely to arrive in time to help with Kyiv’s current offensive. The used planes won’t be enough to turn the tide in the air war against Russia, either. The alliance has a different message in mind.
By providing some of the most sophisticated and expensive weapons to date, Kyiv’s backers will tie Ukraine’s military more closely than ever to the bloc, showing Russian President Vladimir Putin he’s wrong to think he can outlast them in the conflict.
It’s a potentially risky approach. While allies have managed to reduce the upfront expense by offering planes from its members’ existing fleets, keeping those aging F-16s in the air may cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year — just as pressure is growing in Europe and the U.S. over the rising bill for continued support of Ukraine.
“The big takeaway here is that flying a limited fleet of antiquated aircraft — through contractors and maintaining them with contractors — is going to be really freaking expensive,” said Brynn Tannehill of the Rand Corp. in Washington. “It bolsters the message that the long-term goal is to integrate Ukraine into NATO.”
—Bloomberg News
