Killer Killed: A US  drone strike over the weekend killed the elusive al Qaeda terrorist leader Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over the organization after the death of Osama bin Laden.

  President Biden said in a speech last night that “justice” had been delivered. He said, “We make it clear again tonight that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out.”

  The terrorist leader was killed with two hellfire missiles as he stood on a the balcony of a home in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was reported to be the only person killed.

  With al-Zawahiri’s death, all the leaders who plotted the 9/11 attacks are either captured or dead.

  Officials said the hit was not carried out by the military, leaving open the possibility that it was done by the CIA. It’s the first US attack in Afghanistan since American forces left last year. 

  The 71-year-old al-Zawahiri was a medical doctor turned terrorist who was instrumental in planning the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that took down the World Trade Center in New York. He had been al Qaeda’s number two man until bin Laden was killed by Navy Seals in a May 2011 raid on his Pakistan headquarters.

  The killing of al-Zawahiri was retribution, but it’s unclear what value it has in the overall fight against terrorism. Al Qaeda has been relatively dormant, although it still exists. Taking out al-Zawahiri is at the least a political victory for Joe Biden.

The Matter in Kansas: The state of Kansas votes today on a constitutional amendment that would allow the Republican-dominated legislature to restrict or entirely ban abortion. That amendment would overrule the Kansas Supreme Court decision that found the right to abortion is guaranteed by the State Constitution.

  Kansas has been a base of strong anti-abortion politics for decades. If the amendment passes, it could be a signal to other conservative states to further restrict abortion. Right now in Kansas, abortion is allowed up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

 In polling, 31 percent of Kansans have said they believe abortion is murder. A narrow 51 percent said it should be legal. But the US Supreme Court’s decision to  overturn Roe v. Wade and make abortion a state decision has motivated pro-choice Kansas residents and millions of dollars have been spent campaigning to protect the right.

  However, the proposition and even the day of the vote is somewhat gerrymandered in favor of the Republicans, who would stop abortion. The vote that is open to all Kansans is being held on primary day, a day on which only the more politically active or interested people vote. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the state. 

  The language of the proposal is also designed to confuse. A “no” vote is in favor of the right to abortion and “yes” is vote against.

Delusional: The first defendant convicted at trial in the January 6^th insurrection was sentenced to more than seven years in prison yesterday, the most severe punishment meted out so far in the attack on Congress.

  Guy Reffitt, a recruiter for the right-wing Texas Three Percenters movement, was convicted in March of obstruction of Congress, interfering with police, carrying a firearm to a riot, and even threatening his teenage son, who turned him in to the FBI.

  Reffitt led rioters who overwhelmed police at a key point, a stairway leading from the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol. Afterwards, Reffitt warned his son and 16-year-old daughter that “if you turn me in, you’re a traitor, and traitors get shot,” his son testified at the trial.

  Prosecutors had asked the judge to give Reffitt 15 years for leading a mob while armed.

  Reffitt has claimed to be a “patriot” and a “martyr.” US District Judge Dabney Friedrich described his views espousing political violence as “absurd” and  “delusional.” 

  In a late attempt at an apology, Reffitt told the judge, “I really do hate what I did. My mouth is my biggest enemy.”

The Obit Page: Actress and singer Nichelle Nichols, who flew through space on the television show Star Trek as communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, died Saturday night in Silver City, New Mexico. She was 89. 

  Nichols was one of the first Black women featured in a major television series. Probably little known to millions of viewers, her character’s name was the Swahili word for “freedom.”

  The series lasted three years and Nichols also played Uhuru in six subsequent feature films.

  Nichols said she almost quit after the first year of Star Trek to try to make it on Broadway. But was talked out of it by none other than The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who told her Star Trek was the only television show he and his wife Coretta allowed their young children to watch.  

The Spin Rack: The death toll in last week’s Kentucky flooding has risen to 37 with more rains and possible floods expected. Gov. Andy Beshear said “hundreds” remain unaccounted for. — Former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who just signed a $230 million guaranteed contract with the Cleveland Browns, will be suspended for six games this season after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage therapy. He will not be fined and critics are already calling the punishment a “slap on the wrist.” — UN Secretary General António Guterres said yesterday that with rising international tensions and the war in Ukraine,  the world is “just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.” — Speaking of tensions, the US warned China not to turn Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s expected trip to Taiwan into a “crisis.”

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