Nusa Tenggara Barat Jadi Salah Satu Sentra Mangga di Indonesia

Suara.com - Mungkin tak banyak yang tahu kalau Lombok Utara, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) merupakan salah satu sentra mangga di Indonesia. Lebih dari 1.500 hektare pohon mangga tumbuh subur di kabupaten di sisi utara dan barat Gunung Rinjani tersebut.

Kualitas mangga Arumanis dari daerah tersebut diakui para pedagang sebagai salah satu yang terbaik di Indonesia. Agroklimatnya sangat cocok untuk budi daya mangga, karena berada di dataran rendah dekat dengan garis pantai, sehingga intensitas penyinaran matahari sangat optimal. Sentra mangga Lombok Utara, sebagian besar berada di Kecamatan Bayan, Kayangan, Gangga dan Pemenang.

"Kementerian Pertanian, melalui Direktorat Jenderal Hortikultura mendorong penataan kawasan mangga di Lombok Utara. Perlu diatur pola panennya, agar harga bisa terjaga, terlebih saat panen raya," ujar Direktur Buah dan Florikultura, Liferdi Lukman, saat mengunjungi kawasan mangga, di Kecamatan Bayan, Lombok Utara, Sabtu (28/9/2019).

Liferdi bertekad akan mendorong kawasan ini menjadi Kabupaten Mangga, di gugusan Nusa Tenggara, dengan memacu pengembangan kawasan hingga mencapai 2.000 hektare melalui APBN, APBD dan swadaya.

"Nah, sambil ditambah arealnya, dilakukan penataan kawasan eksisting yang sudah ada dengan mengatur panen off season-nya," katanya.

Menurut Liferdi, model kawasan mangga di Lombok Utara harus ditata dengan pendekatan korporasi sebagaimana Grand Design Hortikultura 2020 - 2024, yang kini tengah dimatangkan. Dalam hal ini, Direktorat Buah dan Florikultura sebagai "imam" yang menetapkan dan mengatur kawasan pengembangan, selanjutnya direktorat lain mendukung sesuai tugas pokok dan fungsinya.

Sementara itu, Direktorat Perbenihan mendukung penyiapan benih bermutu, Direktorat Perlindungan mendukung teknologi pengendalian OPT ramah lingkungan, Direktorat Pengolahan dan Pemasaran Hasil Hortikultura mendukung  lini pascapanen, seperti menyediakan gudang pascapanen dan sertifikasi GAP dan packinghouse.

"Dukungan sarana dan prasarana, teknologi budidaya maju, penguatan kelembagaan dan sumber daya manusia (SDM) petani hingga fasilitasi ekspor akan melibatkan eselon 1 lingkup Kementan bahkan kementerian/lembaga terkait lainnya. Tentu harus ada komitmen dan dukungan konkrit dari Pemda setempat," tukasnya.

Muhsin, petani sekaligus pedagang mangga dari Kecamatan Bayan mengakui, agribisnis mangga di daerahnya sangat menguntungkan.

"Saya punya sedikitnya 1.500 pohon mangga, sebagian besar jenis Arumanis. Pemasaran terutama ke Jawa, mulai Probolinggo sampai Jakarta. Nyaris tidak ada kesulitan, karena kualitas mangga dari Bayan diakui sangat baik," katanya.

Muhsin menjelaskan, ia menerapkan teknologi offseason, dengan mengaplikasikan NPK dan zat pengatur tumbuh dengan bahan aktif paclobutrazol. Biaya perlakuan tersebut sekitar Rp 150 ribu per batang.

"Kalau satu pohon rata-rata menghasilkan 1 kuintal mangga, maka dengan harga jual Rp 4500 per kilogram, setiap pohon bisa menghasilkan Rp 450 ribu, atau masih ada untung sekitar Rp 300 ribu per pohon. Jadi dalam satu kali musim panen 1.500 pohon kami bisa dapat untung Rp 400 hingga Rp 450 juta. Sangat menguntungkan," ungkap Muhsin senang.

Musim panen raya mangga di Lombok Utara biasanya November hingga Februari, hampir bersamaan dengan sentra lain di Jawa. Muhsin bersama beberapa petani di Lombok Utara sudah mampu menerapkan teknologi budi daya offseason.

"Caranya, tanaman diberi perlakuan khusus. Biasanya dilakukan pada bulan Februari, sehingga bisa dipanen pada bulan Agustus - September. Kalau petani bisa panen di bulan tersebut, biasanya dapat harga yang bagus, karena daerah di Jawa banyak yang belum panen. Kami bisa kok atur, agar panen mangga bisa berlangsung sepanjang tahun," terang Muhsin antusias.

Tidak hanya menerapkan teknologi offseason, Muhsin mengatakan, untuk menghasilkan mangga yang berkualitas baik, pemeliharaan kebun wajib dilakukan mulai dari pemangkasan, sanitasi kebun hingga pengendalian hama dan penyakitnya.

"Kami berharap, kebun-kebun mangga di Kecamatan Bayan ini nantinya dapat diregistrasi GAP, sehingga tidak hanya untuk memenuhi pasar lokal, namun mangga Lombok Utara ini bisa diekspor keluar negeri," ujar Muhsin optimistis.

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Demo Selalu Ricuh, Nilai Tukar Rupiah Semakin Terpuruk

Suara.com - Kepala Riset Monex Investindo Futures Ariston Tjendra memprediksi pergerakan nilai tukar rupiah masih akan tertekan dolar AS.

Menurut pengamatannya, pelemahan ini disebabkan oleh demo yang selalu ricuh, sehingga jadi perhatian pelaku pasar.

"Arah pelemahan Rupiah ke area Rp 14.230. Support di kisaran Rp 14.100," kata Aris dalam riset hariannya di Jakarta, Selasa (1/10/2019).

Berdasarkan data Bloomberg, pergerakan rupiah pada Senin (30/9/2019) berada di level Rp 14.188 per dolar AS.

Level itu melemah dari pergerakan Jumat lalu yang berada di level Rp 14.172 per dolar AS.

Sementara itu, berdasarkan kurs tengah Bank Indonesia, rupiah pada Senin kemarin berada di level Rp 14.174 per dolar AS.

Posisi itu menguat bila dibandingkan pada Jumat sebelumnya yang berada di level Rp 14.197 per dolar AS.

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Pagi di Awal Oktober, Kualitas Udara Jakarta Nomor 6 Terkotor di Dunia

Suara.com - Kualitas udara di DKI Jakarta masih menempati posisi keenam dari 92 kota besar di dunia dengan kategori tidak sehat berdasarkan laporan aplikasi penyedia layanan Air Visual.

DKI Jakarta berada di bawah sejumlah kota besar diantaranya Vietnam, Arab, Kuwait dan China.

Berdasarkan pantauan dari laman resmi Air Visual pada Selasa (1/10/2019) pukul 06.30 WIB, indeks kualitas udara (AQI) Jakarta berada pada level tidak sehat, yakni 156 dari ambang batas 500, dengan parameter polutan atau PM2.5 konsentrasi 65 ug/m3.

Dari 11 lokasi yang terpantau menunjukkan hanya udara di sekitar lingkungan Kemayoran yang berkategori sedang di angka 81, dan parameter PM2.5 konsentrasi 26,4 ug/m3. Pada level tersebut kualitas udara berisiko terhadap kesehatan masyarakat yang sensitif.

Kualitas udara di kawasan Rawamangun terpantau pada level tidak sehat dengan parameter AQI 177 serta PM2.5 konsentrasi 105,4 UG/m3.

Kondisi udara di kawasan Pulau Pramuka, Kepulauan Seribu terpantau berkategori sedang dengan parameter AQI 117 serta PM2.5 konsentrasi 35,2 UG/m3.

Wilayah lain dalam kategori udara tidak sehat yakni Mangga dua bagian selatan, Pegadungan Jakarta Barat, Rawamangun, Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, AHP Capital Place dan Pejanten Barat.

Selain itu, AirVisual juga mencatat kelembapan udara Jakarta 78 persen dan kecepatan angin 3,6 kilometer per jam. (Antara)

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Terima Kunjungan Swedia, Gubernur Jabar Siap Tindaklanjuti Kerja Sama

Suara.com - Kunjungan Gubernur Jawa Barat (Jabar) Ridwan Kamil ke Swedia Juli lalu ditindaklanjuti dengan kehadiran Duta Besar (Dubes) Swedia untuk Indonesia, Marina Berg, di Gedung Sate, Kota Bandung, Senin (30/9/2019).

Emil, sapaan akrab Ridwan Kamil mengatakan, perlu ada kerja sama konkret dari hasil kunjungan delegasi Jabar ke Swedia, dan sebaliknya, delegasi Swedia ke Jabar.

"Pertemuan ini untuk menindaklajuti kunjungan kami ke Swedia, dan saya akan menindaklanjutinya dengan hal yang konkret," katanya, dalam pertemuan yang juga diikuti beberapa delegasi pengusaha Swedia itu.

Emil pun memaparkan sejumlah potensi Jabar yang bisa menjadi modal kerja sama Jabar-Swedia, termasuk dari sektor pariwisata dan proyek infrastruktur strategis yang tengah dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Daerah Provinsi (Pemdaprov) Jabar.

"Pertumbuhan kami (Jabar) sangat cepat. Pertumbuhan ekonomi kami ada di angka 5,8 persen saat ini, dan kami sedang membangun beberapa ruas jalan tol," tutur Emil.

Selain itu, Emil juga menjelaskan bahwa pembangunan yang berkelanjutan menjadi visi Pemdaprov Jabar. Di bawah kepemimpinannya, Emil berujar, saat ini pemerintah tengah mendorong pengembangan energi dari limbah atau waste to energy.

"Salah satunya yang tengah kami bangun, tempat pengolahan sampah RDF (Refused Derived Fuel) di Bogor," ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Marina mengatakan, selain kerja sama investasi dan ekonomi, kerja sama konkret yang bisa dilakukan antara Jabar dan Swedia, termasuk solusi menangani permasalahan lingkungan dan tanggung jawab sosial kemasyarakatan.

"Tentunya kerja sama yang bisa menjadi solusi, sesuai dengan visi Anda (Gubernur Jabar), solusi yang berkelanjutan. Termasuk untuk mendukung program Jabar sebagai bentuk tanggung jawab sosial dan lingkungan," tambahnya.

Adapun dalam agenda kali ini, salah satu delegasi pengusaha yang turut hadir bersama Dubes Swedia adalah perwakilan IKEA di Indonesia.

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Pengamat : Di Era Jokowi - JK, Swasembada Beras Jadi Kenyataan

Suara.com - Sepanjang 2015 - 2019, stok beras di Bulog tercatat 2,5 juta ton. Hal ini merupakan hasil Program Upaya Khusus (Upsus) pemerintah untuk percepatan swasembada beras, yang terbukti menuai hasil yang menggembirakan.  

Pengamat Politik Universitas Paramadina, Hendri Satrio menilai, kondisi tersebut membuktikan bahwa mimpi pemerintahan Jokowi - JK untuk mewujudkan swasembada beras menjadi kenyataan. Ia membandingkan keberhasilan swasembada beras pada 1984 yang diakui  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), yang saat itu jumlah penduduknya 162 juta orang, dengan impor sekitar 414 ribu ton.

"Definisi swasembda oleh FAO pada waktu itu, bila mampu mencukupi sendiri dan impor maksimum 10 persen. Pada 2019, dengan jumlah penduduk 267 juta jiwa yang membutuhkan pasokan 2,5 juta ton beras per bulan atau 29,5 juta ton per tahun, tercukupi dari produksi petani, dan kini stok beras di Bulog ada 2,5 juta ton. Artinya, saat ini Indonesia berhasil meraih swasembada beras," demikian kata lelaki yang akrab disapa Hensat, di Jakarta, Senin (30/9/2019).

Ia menegaskan, keberhasilan pemerintahan Jokowi-JK mewujudkan swasembada beras tentu menjadi sejarah baru. Pada 2015, Indonesia dihadapkan pada kondisi El Nino sehingga terjadi impor beras 1,5 juta ton, yang sebagian meluncur masuk Indonesia hingga awal 2016.

"Namun melalui kebijakan dan program strategis Menteri Pertanian, Andi Amran Sulaiman, pada 2016 - 2017 tidak ada impor beras umum. Pada 2018, impor beras hanya untuk jaga-jaga, karena 2019 ada hajatan politik, yakni pemilihan presiden dan pemilihan legislatif," tegasnya.

Hensat menambahkan, berbagai program antisipasi dini dan mitigasi, Kementerian Pertanian berhasil melewati dampak El Nino atau kekeringan terbesar 2015 tersebut. Program tersebut berupa rehabilitasi jaringan irigasi besar-besaran, pompanisasi, sumur dangkal, mekanisasi dan benih tahan kekeringan, hasilnya mampu berproduksi.

"Bila dibandingkan dengan El Nino 1997 - 1998, di mana saat itu penduduk Indonesia berjumlah 203 juta jiwa, terjadi impor 12 juta ton beras. Bila tidak ada program yang masif di 2015, maka jumlah penduduk 258 juta jiwa akan impor 16 juta ton beras," terangnya.

Hensat menilai, infrastruktur dasar pertanian yang telah dibangun 2015 - 2019 menjadi fondasi untuk estafet pembangunan berikutnya. Bahkan Kementan kini tengah fokus mengimplementasikan pertanian dengan teknologi 4.0.

"Ini tentu bukti kebijakan politik sektor pertanian yang bisa merubah pertanian ke depan semakin maju dan berdaya saing. Ke depan, sektor pertanian akan semakin mantap berdaulat pangan, bahkan ekspornya lebih banyak lagi," ujarnya.

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Beijing marks 70 years of Communist rule as Hong Kong protesters take to the streets

In his opening speech in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke briefly about Hong Kong, where pro-democracy, anti-government protests are kicking off right now.

"We must remain committed to the strategy of peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems," said Xi, referring to the system of governance that gives Hong Kong its unique rights and semi-autonomy.

"We will maintain long term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau, advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, unite the whole country, and continue to strive toward the complete unification of our country."

Hong Kong has been protesting for 17 straight weeks now, and shows no signs of stopping. There are protests scheduled for six different districts today alone.

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Channing Smith and the importance of being the author of your own story

Consider how news outlets have been struggling to describe the sexuality of Channing Smith, the 16-year-old who died by suicide last week after classmates outed him on social media.

Some have said that he was gay; others that he was bisexual. Members of his family have described him as "gay or bisexual," while Smith's girlfriend, for her part, has said that "people called him bisexual, but he never classified specifically as that."

Beyond the obvious cruelty of the situation, what's so heartrending about what happened to Smith is that he's now been denied the opportunity to be any of these things.

According to reports, Smith, who hadn't openly discussed his sexuality, had been exchanging private, explicit messages with another boy on Facebook. Classmates who allegedly wanted to embarrass him posted the messages on Instagram and Snapchat. The teenager later killed himself, after discovering the social-media outing.

"Being in a small, rural town in the middle of Tennessee, you can imagine being the laughingstock and having to go to school Monday morning," Smith's older brother told WZTV. "He couldn't face the humiliation that was waiting on him when he got to school on Monday."

And yet, the awfulness of the situation isn't that Smith was, maybe, gay or bisexual or something else. Rather, it's the fact that attempting to categorize him now seems to participate -- even if well intentioned -- in a refusal of his right to a life on his own terms.

Indeed, there's a wrenching irony here.

On the one hand, thanks significantly to the efforts of activists over the decades, LGBTQ Americans today have an unprecedented degree of specificity in their linguistic self-determination -- in how they choose to present themselves to, and represent themselves in, the world. On the other hand, we, as a society, don't have a script to describe a boy who was still poking and prodding at his identity.

There's a similar tension in the broader political environment around Smith's death.

The majority of Americans support same-sex marriage -- one of the biggest civil rights achievements in recent memory -- and, in a first, a gay candidate (from Mike Pence country) is mounting a major campaign for the presidency. At the same time, anti-LGBTQ harassment is on the rise, and there are no federal laws protecting LGBTQ Americans against discrimination.

In some ways, Smith's death mirrors that of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student who, in 2010, after his roommate secretly filmed and posted online about his intimate encounters with another man, killed himself.

While Clementi was apparently open about his sexuality to an extent that Smith wasn't, both suicides still point to the ongoing importance of being the author of your own story -- something that's especially true when it comes to the singularly queer act of coming out -- and the excruciating consequences of losing control over that authorship.

"He was trying to find himself," Smith's girlfriend told BuzzFeed News. "He was becoming himself," his brother recalled in the same story.

The tragedy of Smith's death is that, now, he'll always be remembered as trying to find, but never finding; trying to become, but never becoming.

How to get help: In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.

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NYPD officer killed in the Bronx died by friendly fire, police say

"This is a tragic case of friendly fire, but make no mistake, we lost a life of a courageous public servant solely due to a violent criminal who put the lives of the police and all the people we serve in jeopardy," New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill said Monday.

Brian Mulkeen, a 33-year-old member of The Bronx Anti-Crime Unit, was investigating gang activity, including recent shootings with two other officers at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, NYPD said.

The officers got out of their vehicle to question a man, who then fled, and the officers gave chase. As the officers tried to apprehend the suspect, a violent struggle on the ground began, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan previously announced.

In body-worn camera, Mulkeen can be heard yelling "He's reaching for it! He's reaching for it!" Monahan said earlier.

Mulkeen fired five rounds and his partners fired 10 rounds, two of which struck Mulkeen, O'Neill said. Police previously said Mulkeen was hit three times, but O'Neill said one of the wounds was "an in and out wound."

"Officer Mulkeen retained his firearm during the entire violent struggle he had with the suspect," O'Neill said. "Brian was the one who fired his own weapon, and he fired five rounds at the suspect."

The 27-year-old suspect, Antonio Williams, was shot and killed. He was on probation for a narcotics-related arrest and had served time in prison on a burglary conviction, Sgt. Mary Frances O'Donnell of the NYPD said. He also had been arrested for petty larceny and false documents, she said.

O'Neill said Williams' loaded gun was not fired during the incident.

Though body-cam video was available, Mulkeen's camera was not activated, O'Neill said.

Mulkeen had served on the NYPD for over six and a half years and lived in Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, who is also an NYPD officer.

Mulkeen graduated from Fordham in 2008 and was a two-year field captain for the track and field team, competing in weight throw and hammer throw, the university said.

Second friendly-fire death this year for NYPD

Mulkeen is the second NYPD officer to be shot and killed on the street this year. In February, an NYPD detective was fatally shot in a friendly fire incident as police responded to a reported robbery at a cell phone store in Queens.

As Det. Brian Simonsen, 42, and a sergeant went in to the store, a suspect came out of a back room with a replica handgun, the NYPD said. The two officers fired, and as they were leaving the store, Simonsen was apparently shot by uniformed officers. The sergeant was struck in the leg, police said.

In addition, nine NYPD officers have died by suicide this year, a cluster that has rattled the department.

Sunday's killing comes more than a day after a gunman shot dead Texas Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, an observant Sikh who gained national attention years ago when he got permission to wear a turban as part of his Harris County Sheriff's Office uniform.

Dhaliwal had stopped a man for a traffic violation and was walking back to his patrol car Friday afternoon when he was shot twice, including at least once in the back of the head, authorities said.

CNN's Jamiel Lynch and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

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An Iowa city received a federal request to remove its rainbow crosswalks. It declined

So when the federal government threw the city a roadblock, they decided to ignore it.

In a letter dated September 5, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a division of the US Department of Transportation, requested that the colorful crosswalks be removed because they didn't comply with federal traffic control standards.

According to federal rules, crosswalks can only use white paint.

"Crosswalk art has a potential to compromise pedestrian and motorist safety by interfering with, detracting from, or obscuring official traffic control devices. The art can also encourage road users, especially bicycles and pedestrians, to directly participate in the design, loiter in the street, or give reason to not vacate the street in an expedient or predictable manner," the FHWA wrote in a letter to Ames City Manager Steve Schainker.

Two of the crosswalks in Ames feature the colors of the inclusive Pride flag, which adds black and brown to the rainbow LGBTQ Pride flag designed by Gilbert Baker in the 1970s. Another features the gender-nonbinary colors of purple, black, yellow and white, while yet another features the transgender pride colors of blue, white and pink.

"It also creates confusion for motorists, pedestrians, and other jurisdictions who may see these markings and install similar crosswalk treatments in their cities. Allowing a non-compliant pavement marking to remain in place presents a liability concern for the City of Ames in the event of a pedestrian/vehicle or vehicle/vehicle collision," the letter continued.

But the city of Ames wasn't buying it.

City Attorney Mark O. Lambert sent a memo addressed to the Ames mayor and city council, outlining his own interpretation of the situation.

The FHWA doesn't appear to have jurisdiction over the roads where the crosswalk is, Lambert wrote, since the streets are not part of a federal highway and receive no federal funding. Instead, he said it should be up to the state of Iowa to decide whether the federal traffic control standards were enforced on its streets.

"With the system of federalism in the United States, the federal government does not have jurisdiction over everything," Lambert stated in the letter.

He also pointed out some technicalities. The FHWA hadn't said that they would impose any penalties for not complying with the rules, and the agency had only requested that the city remove its colored crosswalk -- they hadn't demanded it.

Members of the Ames City Council discussed the issue at a meeting last Tuesday, and ultimately came to a decision. They would do nothing.

"My only question is, do we need to do anything?" council member Chris Nelson asked at the meeting, according to the Ames Tribune. "Can we just accept the letter and say thank you?"

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Kamala Harris says Trump's Twitter account should be suspended

"The President's tweets and his behaviors about this are just further evidence of the fact that he uses his power in a way that is designed to beat people down instead of lift people up," the California Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "Anderson Cooper 360."

"Frankly, when you look at what he's been tweeting today directed at the whistleblower, directed at so many people, you know, I, frankly, think that based on this and all we've seen him do before, including attacking members of Congress, that he, frankly, should be -- his Twitter account should be suspended. I think there is plenty of now evidence to suggest that he is irresponsible with his words in a way that could result in harm to other people. And so the privilege of using those words in that way should probably be taken from him."

When asked if she thought a suspension of his Twitter account would be seen as the social networking giant trying to silence Trump, Harris said it must be agreed that a US president's words should be "not about belittling, much less harming, anyone" and said Trump is using "his words in a way that could subject someone to harm."

"If he's not going to exercise self-restraint, then, perhaps, there should be other mechanisms in place to make sure that his words do not, in fact, harm anyone," she said. "And that's my point. What we want to make sure is that his words do not actually result in harm to anyone."

Trump has rebuked the anonymous whistleblower in a series of tweets, tweeting on Monday "#FakeWhistleblower," and has repeatedly called the whistleblower's complaint "fake." On Sunday, the President said he deserved to meet his "accuser."

Trump said last week that whoever had provided the whistleblower with information about his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "close to a spy," and that in the old days spies were dealt with differently.

The comment prompted House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of California, Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel of New York and Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, all Democrats, to call on the President to stop his "reprehensible witness intimidation" of the whistleblower.

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Jessye Norman, international opera star, dead at 74

The New York Metropolitan Opera described Norman as "one of the great sopranos of the past half-century."

"Norman sang more than 80 performances with the company, dazzling audiences with her beautiful tone, extraordinary power, and musical sensitivity," the Met said in a statement.

Norman won four Grammy awards and a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006.

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Kansas federal judge publicly reprimanded following sexual misconduct allegations

A special committee that investigated allegations against US District Judge Carlos Murguia found that he had sexually harassed female employees, made "sexually suggestive" comments and sent "inappropriate texts" often late into the night, according to an order released by the court. The order also says all of the harassed employees said they had been reluctant to tell Murguia to stop his behavior "because of the power he held as a federal judge." One employee told him to stop his behavior, but he continued, the order says.

The committee also found that Murguia had an extramarital affair for years with someone who used drugs, was on probation and is now incarcerated for probation violations -- a circumstance that put him in "such a compromised position that he made himself susceptible to extortion." Murguia had also been "habitually late for court proceedings and meetings for years" and was counseled about it but continued with his actions, the committee found.

The Denver-based 10th Circuit says Murguia admitted to the misconduct but "was less than candid" when initially confronted by the allegations, admitting to the accusations only when presented with "documentary evidence."

The committee that investigated the allegations found no evidence that Murguia had continued the misconduct after being served with the complaint. The court document notes that the judge has apologized, said he will not engage in further inappropriate conduct and offered "to take voluntary corrective action."

The judicial council stopped short of referring Murguia to Congress for any possible investigation for impeachment, making it likely that the judge -- who was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton 20 years ago -- will keep his lifetime appointment.

Rarely do sexual misconduct allegations against federal judges become public, even belatedly, and rarely are judges who misbehave subject to any sanction, a 2018 CNN study found. The judicial council thought Murguia's actions were "too serious and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Judiciary in the mind of the public too important for a private reprimand."

In late 2018, the 10th Circuit judicial council dismissed 83 complaints that had been filed against new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Its order said that Kavanaugh, as a Supreme Court justice, was no longer covered by the judiciary's misconduct rules. That decision was affirmed by the federal judiciary's top panel on judges' conduct in August.

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A Texas man fatally shoots intruder and then goes back to bed

The homeowner, James Michael Meyer, said he didn't know whether he struck the person, so he went back to bed and didn't call police, according to an arrest warrant released by the Dallas Police Department.

Meyer, 72, says that he was awakened around 5 a.m. Thursday by a noise outside, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by Dallas police. Meyer told police he looked outside and saw someone attempting to break into his storage shed, and that's when he got his handgun and went outside to confront the person.

Meyer told the intruder not to come any closer or he would shoot him, the warrant reads. Meyer said the man took a few steps toward him with a pickax in his hand, the warrant says, and that's when he fired his gun. He said the unidentified man dropped the pickax and ran into the park behind his property. Meyer told police he fired another shot "into the night" in the direction of the park and then went to bed.

As the sun began to rise, Meyer looked outside and saw what he thought was a black bag in the park. He went to get a closer look, according to the warrant, and discovered a man lying facedown on the ground.

Meyer said he had his wife contact an attorney before he called 911 at 7:04 a.m. to report a home invasion in progress.

Meyer refused to answer the 911 dispatcher's questions and repeatedly said "he was a victim of a crime and that medical assistance was needed," according to the warrant.

Police officers arrived to find the deceased male lying facedown in the park behind Meyer's home with a gunshot wound to the back of his neck, Dallas police said in a post on the department website. The warrant said Dallas Fire Rescue determined the person had been dead for several hours.

Crime scene analysts called to process the scene couldn't find any spent shell casings. According to the warrant, Meyer told them that he picked them up and threw them away. Detectives also noted in the warrant that several neighbors stated hearing three gunshots, not two.

Meyer was arrested and charged with murder Thursday. He was released from jail Friday after posting the $150,000 bond, according to records from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.

Dallas Police have not identified the man who was shot.

CNN reached out to Meyer's attorney but has not received a response.

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Twin 3-year-old girls found dead in hot vehicle in Georgia, authorities say

The statement said someone called 911 at 1:42 p.m. to report that two children who'd been missing had been found unresponsive in a vehicle in the backyard of a home.

First responders arrived and found the two deceased toddlers inside. The temperature was around 92 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, according to CNN Weather.

The girls, Raelynn and Payton Keyes, were in foster care, according to Whitney Morris-Reed, public relations manager for the City of Hinesville. Police said the girls didn't reside at the house where they were found but often spent time there.

"A search warrant for the home was obtained and GBI was contacted to assist with the investigation," according to the city's statement. "A crime scene unit processed the scene with the assistance from GBI and the bodies of the children were removed from the scene and taken to the crime lab. Autopsies will be performed on Monday, September 30."

Captain Tracey Howard with Hinesville police told CNN affiliate WTOC that it's too early in the investigation to determine how the children ended up inside the car.

The girls had been living with their foster parents and two other siblings for about a year and a half.

In Alabama, 11-month-old boy dies

This is the second incident involving twins and hot vehicles in recent days.

An 11-month-old boy died after he and his twin sister were left for hours in a vehicle at a car dealership in Oxford, Alabama, authorities said Friday.

Emergency responders went to Sunny King Honda around 11:54 a.m. after receiving a 911 call of two infants inside a vehicle, Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge said.

Their father, who works for the dealership, had taken the twins out of the backseat of his personal car by the time officers arrived, the chief said. The children were still in their carseats.

Both were transported to the Regional Medical Center emergency room, where the boy died. His twin sister is doing well, Partridge said.

CNN's Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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Elon Musk: Crew Dragon spacecraft for NASA could fly astronauts in 3 to 4 months

CEO and chief engineer Elon Musk told CNN Business' Rachel Crane that SpaceX is "going as fast as we can" to get the overdue spacecraft, which is designed to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, ready for flight.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, said in an interview on Monday that he is not confident in that timeline. The space agency will likely have to purchase more seats aboard Russian-made spacecraft in 2020, he said, to ensure US astronauts have continued access to the space station because of ongoing dealys with its Commercial Crew program, he said. That program includes Crew Dragon and a Boeing-built capsule, Starliner, which is also years behind schedule.

NASA asked the private sector to develop crew-worthy spacecraft to replace the Space Shuttle program after it retired in 2011. SpaceX was allotted $2.6 billion and Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion in 2014. NASA originally predicted both companies' spacecraft would be up and running by 2017.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule flew an uncrewed demonstration mission in March, during which it briefly docked with the ISS. The company was expected to launch astronauts in July, but the craft exploded earlier in the year during a ground test of its emergency abort system.

Musk told CNN Business that 95% of SpaceX's resources are dedicated to its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon rockets, and the Crew Dragon vehicle that will conduct SpaceX's first crewed mission will arrive at its Florida launch site in November.

"If there's some way just to make it go faster, I would make it go faster," Musk said of Crew Dragon development.

Last week, Bridenstine chided Musk on Twitter for giving a presentation in Texas about SpaceX's futuristic Mars rocket, Starship, while Crew Dragon is still on the ground.

"I am looking forward to the SpaceX announcement," Bridenstine said on Twitter Friday. "In the meantime, Commercial Crew is years behind schedule. NASA expects to see the same level of enthusiasm focused on the investments of the American taxpayer. It's time to deliver."

During his interview with CNN Business, Musk responded: "Did he say Commercial Crew or SLS?" SLS, or Space Launch System, is a rocket designed for deep-space exploration that Boeing is building for NASA. The project has endured years of delays and billion-dollar cost overruns.

Bridenstine told CNN Business that he recognized "a lot of NASA contractors are behind schedule" and he wants to hold all of them accountable for delays.

Bridenstine also noted that NASA spends $85 million per seat to fly US astronauts on Russian spacecraft, and he called SpaceX out on Twitter because he wants to ensure NASA's Commercial Crew partners are "focused on the right things."

Bridenstine referred to Crew Dragon's explosion as a "catastrophic failure," and said one of the reasons he's skeptical of the idea that Crew Dragon will be ready in the near future is because the updated emergency abort system "has not been qualified" and has not been tested.

Musk said over the weekend that a spacecraft with the new abort system would arrive in Florida in October so it can undergo final testing. That will include an in-flight test of its emergency abort system, which will see the Crew Dragon launch atop a rocket then break off from the rocket and conduct an emergency landing to simulate a situation in which a rocket misfires. NASA and SpaceX both have to deem the spacecraft ready before that test will be scheduled.

Boeing (BA)has yet to launch its uncrewed demo mission. Company spokesperson Josh Barrett said Boeing is working to reach that milestone and conduct a pad abort test by the end of the year.

Bridentine said Boeing is experiencing "similar challenges" with testing the spacecraft and he expects its first flight is "months away."

The space agency in July said dates for Boeing's first missions were "under review." A NASA spokesperson said the schedule will not be officially updated until NASA installs a new associate administrator for human spaceflight. Bill Gerstenmaier held that role for more than a decade before he was demoted two months ago.

Bridenstine said NASA has candidates in mind and will bring on an associate administrator "the coming weeks or months."

CNN Business' Rachel Crane contributed.

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Whistleblower controversy thrusts little-known Trump appointee into the limelight

"As soon as I saw that he had recommended it be sent to Congress, that's all I needed to know it was legit," said Mary McCord, the senior litigator from Practice at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection who worked with Atkinson at the US Attorney's Office and DOJ's National Security Division.

Several officials who acknowledged they are skeptical of the complaint told CNN the IC IG, Michael Atkinson, is a serious professional and that his recommendation gives them pause when they would have been inclined to dismiss the case otherwise.

Atkinson is widely regarded as a career non-partisan with little interest in the public limelight but he currently finds himself at the center of the high profile controversy related to whether the whistleblower complaint.

His recommendation that the complaint, which Atkinson says raised allegations of "urgent concern," be shared with lawmakers has fueled the escalating standoff between the director of national intelligence and Congress while Trump has continued to publicly question the whistleblower's motives for speaking out.

But Atkinson has stood by his conclusion that the complaint indeed raises concerns that must be handed over to Congress in accordance with the law, despite clashing with his own boss, acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, over that determination.

The House Intelligence Committee released a letter from Atkinson last week in which he wrote that he and Maguire, "are at an impasse" over that point, marking an unprecedented disagreement between the DNI and IC IG.

"This involves something more sinister, something involving a serious or flagrant abuse or violation of law or misappropriation, and the IG underscored the seriousness of this, and also that this needs to be looked into. And right now, no one is looking into this," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Friday.

Appointed as IC IG by Trump in 2018, Atkinson's long-standing reputation as a straight-shooter with professional integrity has bolstered the legitimacy of the whistleblower complaint despite the President's attempts to paint it as a partisan attack, multiple sources have told CNN.

Credible sense of urgency

Prior to his Senate confirmation to become IC IG in 2018, Atkinson worked for the Justice Department for over 15 years, according to his biography on the ODNI website.

From 2002 through 2006, Atkinson worked as a trial attorney in DOJ's Criminal Division, Fraud Section. He then served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006 through 2016, where he was the acting chief and deputy chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section.

Some of Atkinson's former colleagues agreed that his credentials as a non-partisan and relative obscurity prior to becoming involved in the whistleblower case lend weight to the seriousness of the complaint.

Atkinson brought several major cases to the US Attorney's Office that were "the result of thorough, quiet investigation," according to McCord, who served as the acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at DOJ from 2016 to 2017 and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division from 2014 to 2016.

That quiet, non-partisan approach to his work is why McCord believed he would be a good fit for the IC IG role.

"The mere fact he was not on anyone's radar is points to the fact that his sense of urgency is credible," she said. "People don't know who he is and that's because he does his job. He's the IG and most of that work is not in the public sphere."

"You would not know which political party he favors by working with him. I worked with him for years. That's the other reason I feel he's so credible in this space," McCord added.

Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division, John Carlin, told CNN that Atkinson is "someone who is very deliberate, thoughtful and tries to carefully review facts ... not someone who seeks attention."

"So if he is in a situation where something needed to be referred that's because it was his best and informed view of what the law required," he said.

Not backing down?

McCord told CNN that she believes Atkinson feels strongly that the complaint needs to be reported to Congress but is also trying to respect the hierarchy in place, which includes the DNI.

During a closed-door briefing with Schiff's committee on Thursday, Atkinson would only discuss the process for his handling of the whistleblower's concerns, the chairman said. Though lawmakers pressed him for details on the complaint, their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

The inspector general does not have the authority to discuss the details of the complaint with Congress because the DNI has not shared the actual report with the committee and had apparently not otherwise authorized Atkinson to share those details.

Although the official details of the complaint have not been provided to members of Congress, Atkinson told the panel during the briefing that it raised concerns about multiple actions but would not say if those instances involved Trump, according to sources familiar with the briefing.

According to one source, Atkinson referenced "a sequence of events" and "alleged actions" that took place. However, another source disputed that the IG provided substantive details regarding the whistleblower claim.

The whistleblower's complaint deals at least in part with a July call between Trump and Ukraine's president. CNN has previously reported that Trump pressed Zelensky in the call to investigate Biden's son, Hunter, according to a person familiar with the situation. Trump has admitted to discussing Biden with Zelensky but has denied doing anything improper.

There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.

While Trump and some Congressional Republicans have attempted to downplay concerns surrounding the complaint, McCord told CNN that she does not see Atkinson backing down from his position.

"If he got to a position where he saw resigning as the only alternative, he would do it ... but there is a lot of space between now and that point," McCord added, noting that Maguire is still expected to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

CNN's Evan Perez contributed reporting

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A brief guide to another blitz of breaking news from Washington

Here's a list of what happened:

Intel inspector general pushes back at claims that whistleblower's information was secondhand

The intelligence community inspector general forcefully pushed back Monday on assertions by Trump and some other Republicans about the lack of firsthand knowledge and rules regarding how whistleblower complaints are processed.

In a statement released Monday, the inspector general said the whistleblower had "direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct." The statement appears to debunk a theory that has been pushed by Trump and several of his Republican allies, who have sought to raise questions about the complaint's credibility by falsely claiming that it is based on "hearsay."

As a reminder, the whistleblower complaint released this past week alleges Trump abused his official powers "to solicit interference" from Ukraine in the 2020 election and that the White House took steps to cover it up. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

A rough transcript released by the White House shows Trump repeatedly pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden, Trump's potential 2020 political rival, and his son Hunter Biden.

There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on Trump's July call with the Ukrainian President

Pompeo was on the July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian President, a source familiar told CNN.

Pompeo was asked about the whistleblower complaint last week while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and said at the time that he had not yet read it in full. When asked if he or his staff had acted improperly Pompeo did say that, to the best of his knowledge, "each of the actions that were undertaken by State Department officials was entirely appropriate."

Trump pressed Australian leader to help with Justice Department review of Russia probe origins

Trump pressed Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, during a recent phone call to help Barr with his review of the origins of former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, according to an official familiar with the call.

The call happened with Barr's knowledge and at his suggestion, the official said.

The official notes this is seeking assistance with the review, which is being conducted by US Attorney John Durham, and so is seen as appropriate and completely different from the Ukraine matter. Justice Department officials say it is appropriate for the attorney general and the President to seek help from foreign countries with an investigation of 2016 election interference.

Mueller's report, which was released in April, detailed numerous cases in which Trump asked his aides to take actions that would have obstructed the investigation, but stated they were unsuccessful because the aides refused his orders. Mueller's investigation pointedly states it was unable to conclude "no criminal conduct occurred."

Ukrainians named in whistleblower report say Giuliani was clear about searching for dirt on the Bidens

Two Ukrainians named in the whistleblower report have told CNN that Giuliani actively pushed for an investigation into his political rivals' dealings in the country.

Andreii Telizhenko, who worked in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington between December 2015 and May 2016, says Giuliani approached him for a face-to-face meeting in May of this year. And Sergeii Leschenko, an adviser to Zelensky, says Giuliani began applying pressure on Zelensky's team to dig up dirt on Biden and his son shortly after the former comedian was elected in April.

While each has a different perspective on the crisis -- Telizhenko believes that the issues surrounding Biden merit further investigation -- both agree that Giuliani was open in his motivations.

House Democrats subpoena Giuliani for Ukraine documents in impeachment inquiry

Key House Democrats announced on Monday that they are issuing a subpoena to Giuliani for documents related to Ukraine as part of the House impeachment inquiry.

The whistleblower complaint labels Giuliani as "central figure" in the controversy. US officials were concerned, the whistleblower said, with Giuliani and his contacts with Ukrainian officials.

Mitch McConnell says the Senate would 'have no choice but to' take up House's impeachment of Trump

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday the Senate "would have no choice but to" take up impeachment if the House passed articles charging the President with crimes, according to the chamber's rules.

CNN poll finds support for impeaching Trump is up among independents and Republicans

Americans are about evenly split over impeaching Trump and removing him from office, as support for that move has risen among independents and Republicans, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS after the announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry by House Democrats last week.

About half, 47%, support impeaching the President and removing him from office, up from 41% who felt that way in a CNN poll in May. The current level matches the high point for impeaching Trump in previous CNN polling -- 47% said they felt that way in September 2018.

CNN's Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez, Alex Rogers, Clare Foran and Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

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Man severely burned after fall into thermal water at Old Faithful

Cade Edmond Siemers told Park Rangers that he took a walk off the boardwalk without a flashlight and tripped into the thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser, the NPS said in a statement. The park warns on their website that visitors are to always walk on the boardwalks.

"The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface," the statement said.

Siemers was able to walk back to Old Faithful Inn, where he was staying near the geyser, and call for help around midnight.

Park rangers thought there were signs he had been drinking, according to the statement. They later found a beer can near the geyser, along with one of Siemers' shoes, and footprints leading to and from the geyser.

Siemers was taken by ambulance to the West Yellowstone Airport and then flown by plane to Idaho Falls where he was admitted to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Due to bad weather, the use of a life flight helicopter from Old Faithful was prohibited, the NPS said.

The Old Faithful Geyser erupts every 51 to 120 minutes, according to the NPS. At the vent, the water is 203 degrees Fahrenheit.

The National Park Service said they are continuing to investigate to determine if any damage was done to the geyser cone. If so, they will forward the results to the US Attorney's Office for prosecutorial review.

Siemers was in critical condition on Monday and unavailable for comment, hospital spokeswoman Coleen Niemann said.

In June 2017, a North Carolina man suffered severe burns when he feel into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin north of the Old Faithful area. A year before that in 2016, an Oregon man died when he went off a boardwalk and fell into a hot spring that was 212 degrees Fahrenheit. His body was not recovered.

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A disbarred attorney who is suspected of killing his mother is captured after months on the run

In February, Richard Merritt had been sentenced to 15 years in prison and 15 years on probation after being convicted of stealing money from his clients and elder abuse. When he failed to turn himself in, Merritt cut his ankle monitor and fled, the Marshals Service said

Merritt's mother, Shirley Merritt, was found dead the next day; her vehicle was missing and her son's vehicle was found at the scene, the Marshals Service said.

Merritt was arrested by the Marshals Service at a thrift store.

Nashville Police Department transferred him to the Davidson County Jail where he'll face extradition to Georgia, the US Marshal Service said. Records showed Merritt was booked in Hill Detention Center in Nashville.

Merritt was found guilty on more than 30 counts admitted to settling civil lawsuits on his clients' behalf without their knowledge, forging signatures on settlement checks and documents and keeping money intended for his clients, the Cobb County District Attorney's Office said in a statement before Merritt was sentenced.

He ordered to pay $454,706 in restitution to his clients, prosecutors said.

The attorney who represented Merritt in the initial case declined to comment.

CNN's Darran Simon contributed to this report.

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16 students in Indiana were accidentally injected with insulin during a TB test, school district says

In a statement on its Facebook page, the school district said medical personnel from Community Health Network were testing 16 students for TB when it was discovered the youths were accidentally injected with insulin. As soon as administrators discovered the error, the students were transferred to local hospitals for observation, according to the statement.

It is anticipated that all students will be released Monday evening, school district Director of Communications Dr. Dana Altemeyer said.

"The MSD of Lawrence Township has a long-standing and strong partnership with Community Health Network," the district said in a statement. "We have full confidence that the events of today are isolated in nature and will be addressed swiftly by the Community Health Network."

The students, who are part of a health sciences program at McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology, were required to get a TB test and a flu shot before on-site clinical experiences, said Altemeyer said.

"Community Health Network is committed to patient safety and is working closely with MSD of Lawrence Township to determine the cause of error and evaluate processes," said Community Health Network in a statement. "The safety of the students in our care is top priority."

According to the school district website, Community Health Network has been working with the school district for about eight years.

CNN's Laura Ly contributed to this report.

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Intelligence community watchdog debunks whistleblower conspiracy pushed by Trump and other Republicans

In a rare statement released Monday, the inspector general addressed a false claim pushed by Trump and some of his allies on Capitol Hill, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, that the whistleblower lacked firsthand knowledge of the conduct outlined in the complaint and therefore the allegations were based on "hearsay." But the statement from the inspector general made clear that the whistleblower was not simply communicating secondhand knowledge.

"The whistleblower stated on the form that he or she possessed both first-hand and other information," the statement read. "The ICIG reviewed the information provided as well as other information gathered and determined that the complaint was both urgent and that it appeared credible. "

The statement clearly says the whistleblower had "direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct" and that Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson obtained additional information during his preliminary review that supported other allegations in the complaint not based on firsthand knowledge, including Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"As part of his determination that the urgent concern appeared credible, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community determined that the Complainant had official and authorized access to the information and sources referenced in the Complainant's Letter and Classified Appendix, including direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct, and that the Complainant has subject matter expertise related to much of the material information provided," the statement says.

"Although the Complainant's Letter acknowledged that the Complainant was not a direct witness to the President's July 25, 2019, telephone call with the Ukrainian President, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community determined that other information obtained during the ICIG's preliminary review supported the Complainant's allegations," it adds.

Earlier Monday, Trump tweeted: "WHO CHANGED THE LONG STANDING WHISTLEBLOWER RULES JUST BEFORE SUBMITTAL OF THE FAKE WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT? DRAIN THE SWAMP," referring to a theory that seems to have been initially propagated by the right-wing website The Federalist on Friday.

The article claims that "between May 2018 and August 2019, the intelligence community secretly eliminated a requirement that whistleblowers provide direct, first-hand knowledge of alleged wrongdoings."

Monday's statement from the intelligence community inspector general clearly debunks that theory, aligning with a fact check conducted by CNN that found the assertion to be false.

The statement said that the form submitted by the whistleblower on August 12, 2019, was the same one the inspector general has had in place since May 24, 2018. The statement reiterated that having firsthand knowledge of the event has never been required in order to submit a whistleblower complaint.

"Although the form requests information about whether the Complainant possesses first-hand knowledge about the matter about which he or she is lodging the complaint, there is no such requirement set forth in the statute," the statement reads.

"In fact," the inspector general's statement continues, "by law the Complainant ... need not possess first-hand information in order to file a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern. The ICIG cannot add conditions to the filing of an urgent concern that do not exist in law."

The statement does state that three new forms have been made available on the inspector general's website as a part of a months-long process. Those forms were developed because the previous versions, including the one used by the whistleblower, "could be read -- incorrectly -- as suggesting that whistleblowers must possess first-hand information to file an urgent concern complaint with the congressional intelligence committees."

Pro-Trump pundits and lawmakers spread the theory on Twitter and TV over the weekend as evidence of some nefarious plot against the President. Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" that whistleblowers no longer need firsthand knowledge because "they changed the form."

Tapper pushed back, fact-checking Jordan. "Experts say it has never been true that you need to have firsthand knowledge to be a whistleblower," Tapper said.

The theory put forth by the President and his allies hinges on the idea that the inspector general recently changed the rules to allow individuals with secondhand knowledge of an event to submit a whistleblower complaint. This is wrong.

A previous version -- cited by The Federalist -- of the form that whistleblowers submit to alert the inspector general of the intelligence community of an "urgent concern" states that in order for the inspector general to determine that the concern is credible "the IC IG must be in possession of reliable, first-hand information."

This does not mean that the inspector general would reject a complaint if it presented only secondhand knowledge, but that firsthand information would be needed for the complaint to be found credible and passed further up the chain of command. The inspector general has 14 days from the time the complaint is submitted to investigate and make a determination as to whether the urgent concern is credible.

And that's exactly what happened in the case of this whistleblower.

During the investigation into this specific complaint about Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian President, the inspector general found additional information that "supports the Complainant's allegation that, among other things, during the call the President 'sought to pressure the Ukrainian leader to take actions to help the President's 2020 reelection bid,' " according to the letter from the inspector general to Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence.

CNN's Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.

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