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☆ January 6 Capitol riot investigation: A timeline of the DOJ probe that may result in another Trump indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The letter, if real, could mean that a Trump indictment related to the Capitol riot is coming. Trump, for his part, has denied responsibility for any violence during the Capitol riot. But if an indictment in connection with the Capitol riot does go through, this will be his third time getting indicted. Here's a brief timeline of what's been reported about the federal investigation into Trump's role in the Capitol riot. January 7, 2021: The Justice Department begins investigating the Capitol riot.

Persons: Donald Trump, he's, Trump, Jack Smith's, Stormy Daniels, Here's, what's, Michael Sherwin, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Smith, Mark Meadows, Mike Pence Organizations: DOJ, Service, Trump, Justice Department, Capitol, District of Columbia, Washington Post, National Archives, Records Administration, New York Times, NARA, CNN Locations: Wall, Silicon, Mar, Trump's

☆ Biden administration unveils draft changes to US merger review guidelines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Vertical mergers have historically received less attention from regulators and the courts, but Wednesday’s draft guidelines explicitly say that the US government may consider certain kinds of vertical mergers to be harmful to competition. Spurred by an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, Wednesday’s draft updates are the result of more than a year of development. (The new draft guidelines, a copy of which CNN reviewed, do not directly reference the consumer welfare standard.) And the Justice Department lost its appeal to block a multimillion-dollar merger between two major sugar producers in another closely watched case. “Unfortunately, things don’t always go our way,” Khan said in response to questions about whether the FTC has exceeded its authority.

Persons: —, ”, General Merrick Garland, Lina Khan, Jonathan Kanter, Joe Biden, Khan, Meta, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Kanter, “, don’t, ” Khan, Biden, Zillow Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Wednesday, Justice Department, Activision Blizzard, FTC, “, DOJ, Microsoft, Activision, Department, Facebook, Nvidia, ARM, American Airlines, JetBlue, Penguin Random, Simon &, Agriculture

☆ Trump's lawyers to appear in Florida court in classified documents case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Andrew Goudsward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 18 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's lawyers are due in court in Florida on Tuesday for a hearing in which a federal judge will begin to consider how to hold a trial of the former U.S. president on charges of mishandling classified documents without publicly exposing top secret information. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland last year. Among the logistical issues Trump's lawyers and prosecutors are expected to discuss are deadlines for prosecutors to turn over classified documents that may be used as evidence and the timing for when Trump's lawyers must notify the government whether he intends to use classified documents to defend himself against the charges. The charges against Trump include violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalizes unauthorized possession of defense information. The defense has sought an indefinite delay, citing among other factors the rigors of Trump's campaign schedule.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Joe Biden, Jack Smith, General Merrick Garland, Aileen Cannon, Biden, Cannon, Cannon's, Andrew Goudsward, Will Dunham, David Bario Organizations: Republican, Democratic, U.S, Trump, FBI, Trump's, Thomson Locations: Florida, Fort Pierce, U.S, Lago, Palm Beach

Trump spoke Tuesday with both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who leads the House GOP’s messaging efforts, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversation. Firebrand GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has previously called for similar action. Despite Trump facing the potential of a third criminal indictment, several House Republicans made clear they would support the former president no matter what. “Donald Trump’s the leader of our party, and Donald Trump is going to be Joe Biden in 2024 for a second time.”Nehls accused the “far left” of having a “severe crush on this guy.”“They have a crush on Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump will win in 2024 and the left just they’re scared shitless,” he said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Elise Stefanik, ”, Jack Smith, McCarthy, Stefanik, Smith, Matt Gaetz, Trump’s, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ” Gaetz, Byron Donalds of, Smith “, Jim Jordan, they’ve, Jordan, There’s, Joe Biden, Hunter, Merrick Garland, David Weiss, Marc Molinaro, “ We’re, I’ve, “, Mitch McConnell –, –, McConnell, Troy Nehls, ” Nehls, “ Donald Trump’s, shitless, Tim Burchett, he’s, ” Burchett, Ralph Norman of, ” Norman, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, House GOP, GOP, Trump, Capitol, Firebrand, Marjorie Taylor Greene of, Representatives, Caucus, Department of Justice, Democratic, Justice Department, Hunter Biden, Republicans, Republican, Texas Rep, Tennessee, DOJ Locations: strategize, Manhattan, Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, New York, Ralph Norman of South Carolina

☆ Fact Check-No evidence of DOJ indicting police linked to Nashville school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Garland spoof account tweeted on July 13: “After a thorough investigation, The DOJ has indicted the police officers who responded to Christian Covenant School in Nashville. There are no credible news reports to corroborate the claim that responding officers are facing a DOJ indictment. A search for news releases on the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department site does not show any statement on any indictment of its officers regarding the school shooting (here). Similarly, searching on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) site does not show any press releases related to the Nashville school shooting (tinyurl.com/35pbmc4r). There is no evidence that responding officers in the Nashville school shooting are facing an indictment, and the claim stems from a Twitter account labeled as parody.

Persons: Aubrey Hale, “ Merrick Garland, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, General Merrick Garland, Read Organizations: Nashville, DOJ, Christian Covenant School, Facebook, Covenant School, Reuters, Covenant, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Nashville, Nashville , Tennessee

☆ Fact Check-Woman on American Airlines flight in July viral clip not called ‘Jenna Wilson’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman passenger who appears in a viral video of a disruption on an American Airlines flight in July is not named Jenna Wilson, a spokesperson for the airline said. The passenger also has not been charged with hate crimes, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson. But a tweet from a parody account calling her Jenna Wilson and claiming she faces federal hate crimes charges for disrupting the flight while insisting another passenger was “not real” has been taken seriously by users online. American Airlines spokesperson Sarah Jantz said in an email on July 12 that the name of the passenger in the viral clip is not “Jenna Wilson”. A search for “Jenna Wilson” with the airline name does not lead to any credible news reports supporting the claim (tinyurl.com/54wve59w).

Persons: Jenna Wilson, General Merrick Garland, dehumanization, Sarah Jantz, Jenna Wilson ”, ”, “, Read Organizations: American Airlines, Department of Justice, Forbes, Fox Business, Department, Justice, Twitter, Facebook, U.S . Department of Justice, Dallas Fort Worth International, DOJ, Reuters Locations: Dallas

☆ FBI chief Wray defends against US House Republicans' accusations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Wray appeared before the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee panel for the first time since former President Donald Trump was indicted for retaining highly classified documents and obstructing justice. Republicans have repeatedly accused the FBI and other federal agencies of "weaponizing" their law enforcement and regulatory powers to silence critics on the right, target political enemies and protect political allies. House Republicans have claimed without evidence that the documents case against Trump is politically motivated. "Absolutely not," replied Wray, a fellow Republican who has increasingly become the target of Republicans' wrath. "The idea that I am biased against conservatives seems somewhat insane to me, given my own personal background," Wray said.

Persons: Chris Way, Hunter Biden, Wray, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Hunter, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Jonathan Ernst, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Terry Doughty, Biden, Sarah N, Lynch, Scott Malone, Susan Heavey Organizations: Republicans, Republican, House, FBI, House Republicans, Trump, U.S, Federal Bureau of, Capitol, REUTERS, District, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Louisiana, Missouri, U.S

☆ Google and Meta got customer data from tax prep firms, and lawmakers want a probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A group of lawmakers led by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren are calling on the Biden administration to investigate how tax prep software companies may have illegally shared customer data with tech platforms Google and Meta . Some statements the tax prep companies provided to the publications at the time seemed to indicate the data sharing was done accidentally. Our system is designed to filter out potentially sensitive data it is able to detect." Among their findings released Wednesday, the lawmakers said that millions of taxpayers' information had been shared with Big Tech firms through the tax prep software and that both the tax prep companies and tech firms were "reckless" in how they handled sensitive information. Although Meta and Google both said they have filters to catch sensitive data that's inadvertently collected, they seemed to be "ineffective," the lawmakers wrote.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Lina Khan, Daniel Werfel, J, Russell George, TaxAct, Block, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Conn, Tammy Duckworth, Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, Katie Porter, Warren, Meta Organizations: Capitol, Massachusetts Democratic, Google, Federal Trade, Tax, Facebook, Meta, CNBC, Big Tech, YouTube, Apple Locations: Washington ,, Sens, D

☆ Hunter Biden prosecutor says Justice Dept didn't interfere in probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I have not requested Special Counsel designation," wrote Weiss, who was appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump. Weiss' office last month revealed that it was charging Hunter Biden with two misdemeanor tax charges, to which the president's son is expected to plead guilty later this month. Hunter Biden also has agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program to avoid facing a more serious felony count of possessing a firearm while he was using illegal drugs. Their criticism has been fueled in part by claims from Gary Shapley, an IRS criminal supervisory agent who worked on the Hunter Biden investigation. Hunter Biden's attorney has also denied that his client received any special treatment.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Hunter, David Weiss, Lindsey Graham, General Merrick Garland, Hunter Biden, Weiss, Donald Trump, Gary Shapley, Shapley, Trump, Garland, Sarah N, Lynch, Scott Malone, Peter Graff Organizations: U.S, Justice Department, Internal Revenue Service, Delaware U.S, Republican, Attorney, D.C, Thomson Locations: Delaware, Washington, California

☆ Special counsel Jack Smith spent $5.4 million on Trump probes through March
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Special counsel Jack Smith's office spent more than $5.4 million during the four and a half months since he took over two criminal probes centered on former President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said Friday. Smith's operation spent the remainder of the money on travel, rent, printing, supplies, acquisition of equipment, according to the statement of expenditures. The DOJ on Friday also released separate spending reports for two other special counsels, Robert Hur and John Durham. The special counsels' activities are funded by the permanent appropriation for independent counsels, the reports note. Marshals Service also incurred a combined $3.8 million in support of Smith's probes, but that figure is not included in the $5.4 million total because the agencies paid their own respective costs.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Jack Smith's, General Merrick Garland, Smith, Trump, Joe Biden, Robert Hur, John Durham . Hur, Durham Organizations: US Department of Justice, Department of Justice, IT, DOJ, White, FBI, U.S . Marshals Service Locations: Washington ,, Durham

☆ California governor urges US to probe Florida's transport of migrants out of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday urged the Department of Justice to open criminal and civil investigations into Florida's transportation of migrants to Martha's Vineyard and Sacramento in recent months. "We urge the USDOJ to investigate potential violations of federal law by those involved in this scheme." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination, last year arranged to transport dozens of migrants to the Massachusetts vacation island of Martha's Vineyard. Florida also acknowledged a role in sending two flights of migrants to California last month, saying all of them traveled voluntarily. A referral for potential criminal prosecution for that flight is pending with the Bexas County District Attorney's Office and the California Department of Justice has opened criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances of the Sacramento flights.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, General Merrick Garland, Ron DeSantis, Jasper Ward, Richard Chang Organizations: Department of Justice, Vineyard, Republican, Democratic, Attorney's Office, California Department of Justice, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: California, Sacramento, Florida, Massachusetts, Martha's, Texas, Bexar County, San Antonio, Bexas County

☆ US attorney investigating Hunter Biden defends probe in letter to House Judiciary panel
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

If not, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General,” Weiss wrote to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently suggested the House chamber could open an impeachment inquiry into Garland over the IRS agents’ allegations. Weiss added that he would not provide the committee with additional information about the Hunter Biden case while it is being prosecuted. Hunter Biden is set to formally plead guilty in federal court in Delaware on July 26. “Thus, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation at this time.”

Persons: CNN — David Weiss, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s, Gary Shapley, Merrick Garland, Weiss, ” Weiss, ” Hunter, Kevin McCarthy, Garland, Tristan Leavitt, Shapley, Weiss “, ” Organizations: CNN, IRS, Central, Central District of, U.S, Attorney, District of, States Attorney’s Office, Republicans, Justice Department, Twitter Locations: Delaware, – Washington, Central District, Central District of California, District of Delaware, “, Weiss ’

☆ US House Republicans seek testimony from Hunter Biden investigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans sought testimony on Thursday from more than a dozen officials from the Justice Department, FBI and other government agencies involved in the federal tax investigation of President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. House Republicans have long made investigations of the president, his family and his administration a top priority. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned earlier this week that Garland could face impeachment over the whistleblower allegations. Thursday's testimony requests came from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith. "The committees seek to examine whistleblower claims that the ... investigation of Hunter Biden was purposely slow-walked and subjected to improper and politically motivated interference," they said in a letter to Garland.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Hunter, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Garland, Jim Jordan, James Comer, Jason Smith, Hunter Biden, David Morgan, Sarah N, Lynch, Scott Malone, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: . House Republicans, Justice Department, FBI, Representatives, Internal Revenue Service, DOJ, Republican, Republicans, Justice, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson

☆ Throw Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal in the Trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Eileen J. O Connor | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The IRS agent's detailed list of abuses deserves an answer. Images: AP Composite: Mark KellySupervisory Special Agent Gary A. Shapley Jr ., a 14-year veteran of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, sat on May 26 for hours of sworn and transcribed testimony with members of the majority and minority staffs of the House Ways and Means Committee. On June 1, an IRS criminal investigator who chose to remain anonymous did the same. These whistleblowers came forward because they believe that Attorney General Merrick Garland gave false assurances to Congress when he testified that he had empowered U.S. Attorney David Weiss with full authority to investigate Hunter Biden ’s alleged criminal activity and bring any resulting charges.

Persons: Kelly, Gary A, Shapley, Merrick Garland, David Weiss, Hunter Biden ’ Locations: U.S

☆ Justice Department charges 78 people with $2.5 billion in health-care fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has recently charged 78 people with $2.5 billion in separate health-care fraud and opioid abuse schemes. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs used to take care of elderly and disabled people, and in some cases used the ill-gotten money to buy exotic cars, jewelry, and yachts, the DOJ said. Among those charged are 11 defendants accused of submitting $2 billion in fraudulent claims through telemedicine, as well as 10 defendants charged in connection with fraudulent prescription drug claims. In all, prosecutors filed charges against people in 16 states in cases that were lodged or unsealed in the past two weeks as part of the coordinated crackdown. In the scheme cited by Garland, executives of supposed software and services companies submitted $1.9 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare for items that were not eligible for reimbursement, according to the DOJ.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Garland, Brett Blackman, Gregory Schreck, Johnson, Gary Cox Organizations: of Justice, DOJ, Justice Department, Southern, Southern District of Locations: telemedicine, Johnson County , Kansas, Maricopa County , Arizona, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Florida

☆ US announces charges in $2.5 billion healthcare fraud takedown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Of the $2.5 billion in alleged fraudulent claims to Medicare, state Medicaid programs that serve the poor and supplemental Medicare insurance programs offered by private insurers, about $1.1 billion was actually paid out to the fraudsters, officials said. The charges, filed or unsealed from June 12 through to Wednesday, involved a series of cases comprising similar types of schemes. The claims get submitted to federal or state insurance programs for reimbursement. The types of medical services at the heart of such schemes usually involve those that pay the highest reimbursement rates. Past examples of such services targeted by fraudsters have included durable medical equipment, genetic testing and other lab diagnostic services.

Persons: Merrick Garland, telemarketers, fraudsters, Sarah N, Lynch, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, Wednesday, Medicare, Department, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - Over $200 billion from the U.S. government's COVID-19 relief programs were likely stolen, a federal watchdog said on Tuesday, adding that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) had weakened its controls in a rush to disburse the funds. The SBA disputed the more than $200 billion figure put forward by the watchdog and said the inspector general's approach had significantly overestimated fraud. The agency said its experts put the likely fraud estimate at $36 billion and added that over 86% of that likely fraud took place in 2020, when the administration for former President Donald Trump was in office. The fraud estimate put forward by the inspector general for the EIDL program stood at more than $136 billion while the PPP fraud estimate was $64 billion. Earlier this year, a separate watchdog report said the U.S. government likely awarded about $5.4 billion in COVID-19 aid to people with questionable Social Security numbers.

Persons: government's, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Kevin Chambers, fraudsters, Kanishka Singh, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Small Business Administration, SBA, Force, U.S . Justice Department, U.S . Labor Department, Social, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, COVID, Washington

☆ Georgia election official Raffensperger to speak with Jan. 6 investigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 27 (Reuters) - Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, is scheduled on Wednesday to answer questions from federal investigators examining former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a spokesperson for Raffensperger's office said. Trump, front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential race, has denied any wrongdoing and asserts falsely that the election was rigged. The Atlanta district attorney is also conducting an investigation into whether Trump and his allies unlawfully sought to interfere with the 2020 election. Trump faces state charges in Manhattan that he falsified business records to conceal a hush-money payment to a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him. Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, Donald Trump's, Raffensperger, Trump, Joe Biden's, Jack Smith, General Merrick Garland, Smith, Raffensperger's, Joseph Ax, Andy Sullivan, Howard Goller Organizations: Trump, U.S . Capitol, Republican, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: U.S, Atlanta, Manhattan

☆ Top US Republican threatens impeachment probe of attorney general over Hunter Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Trump, who faces multiple investigations and a federal indictment, is running for re-election in 2024. McCarthy, who backs the effort to expunge Trump's record, has also leveled an impeachment threat against another Biden Cabinet member, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, over the administration's immigration policies. Hardline Republican conservative Representative Lauren Boebert tried to force the House to vote to impeach Biden over immigration and border security last week. Fellow hardline Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is also pressing for the impeachments of Biden, Garland, Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and a U.S. attorney prosecuting participants in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Hillary Clinton, Biden, Narendra Modi, Read, General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's, Hunter, David Weiss, Donald Trump, Biden's, Merrick Garland's weaponization, McCarthy, Hunter Biden, Garland, Weiss, Trump, Ukraine's, expunge, Alejandro Mayorkas, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mayorkas, Christopher Wray, David Morgan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: U.S, India's, Republican, U.S . House, Justice, Justice Department, DOJ, Revenue, Republicans, Trump, Capitol, Biden, Homeland, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S

☆ Garland denies intervening in probe of Biden's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsGarland denies intervening in probe of Biden's sonPostedU.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday denied allegations by an Internal Revenue Service whistleblower, who said the high-ranking federal prosecutor tasked with investigating President Joe Biden's son Hunter was hindered by the Justice Department from pursuing more aggressive criminal tax charges. Zachary Goelman produced this report.

Persons: Garland, General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's, Hunter, Zachary Goelman Organizations: Internal Revenue Service, Justice Department

☆ U.S. files first-ever charges against Chinese fentanyl manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl — a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States. The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu condemned the move as "a well-planned entrapment operation by the U.S. side, which seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights of relevant enterprises and individuals." He said such "long-arm jurisdiction" would create more obstacles for China-U.S. counter-narcotics cooperation. The move came after Antony Blinken made the first visit to China by a U.S. Secretary of State in five years and said he had made clear that Washington needs much greater Chinese cooperation to stem the flow of fentanyl.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Lisa Monaco, Robert F, Kennedy, Liu Pengyu, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Attorney, Eastern, of, U.S, U.S . Justice, Embassy Locations: of New York, Washington ,, United States, China, U.S, Washington

☆ U.S. attorney general denies allegations that Hunter Biden tax probe was stymied
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"He was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own," the attorney general added. Weiss' office on Tuesday revealed in a court filing that Biden has agreed to plead guilty to the two misdemeanor tax charges. Hunter Biden looks on during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S. April 18, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoOn Thursday, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives released the transcript of an interview with Gary Shapley, an IRS criminal supervisory agent who worked on the Hunter Biden probe. Garland denied that claim on Friday.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's, Hunter, Hunter Biden, Garland, David Weiss, President Trump, Weiss, Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Gary Shapley, Shapley, Trump, Mr, Chris Clark, Sarah N, Lynch, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Internal Revenue Service, Justice Department, Republicans, White, REUTERS, U.S . House, D.C, Thomson Locations: Delaware, Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington, California

☆ U.S. House sidelines far-right Republican impeachment vote on Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File PhotoWASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans turned aside an attempt by hardline conservatives to force an impeachment vote against President Joe Biden on Thursday, in the first of what could prove to be a series of impeachment efforts by members of the far right. The House of Representatives voted 219-208 along party lines to refer a privileged resolution offered by firebrand Representative Lauren Boebert to two congressional committees. Under House rules, privileged resolutions pursued by Boebert and Greene must come up for a vote within two legislative days. McCarthy opposes such initiatives on impeachment, saying he expects ongoing House committee investigations to produce evidence against Biden and members of his administration that can be used to build impeachment cases. But Greene, who had previously introduced formal articles of impeachment against Biden and others, told reporters that privileged resolutions could be necessary because internal Republican divisions have prevented the House Judiciary Committee from acting on impeachment.

Persons: Lauren Boebert, Hunter Biden, Evelyn Hockstein, Joe Biden, Boebert, Biden, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Christopher Wray, Republican Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Greene, Wray, General Merrick Garland, Alejandro Mayorkas, Matthew Graves, McCarthy, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: House, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, . House Republicans, firebrand, U.S, Biden, U.S . Capitol, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, Boebert, House Homeland Security, Homeland, Thomson Locations: New York, Washington , U.S, Mexico, U.S, Ukraine

☆ A bipartisan bill aims to protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Journalists could soon enjoy greater protections under federal law. A bipartisan group of US senators and congressmen united this week to reintroduce the Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying Act, or as it is more commonly known, the PRESS Act. First, it would prevent the government from compelling reporters from being forced to disclose their sources. “The PRESS Act is the strongest federal shield bill for journalists we’ve ever seen,” Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement. The PRESS Act would solve for that by enshrining protections into federal law.

Persons: we’ve, ” Seth Stern, Donald Trump, General Merrick Garland, Republican Sen, Mike Lee, ” Lee, Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, ”, ” Wyden Organizations: CNN — Journalists, Exploitive, Press Foundation, News / Media Alliance, Radio Television Digital News Association, National Association of Broadcasters, American Civil Liberties Union, Department of Justice, CNN, Washington Post, The New York Times, DOJ, Republican, Democratic

☆ U.S. Republican hardliners try to force Biden impeachment vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A privileged resolution to censure Democratic Representative Adam Schiff over his leading role in Trump's Ukraine impeachment came before the House for a second time on Wednesday. McCarthy said he opposed a one-off vote to impeach Biden while committee investigations into the president's family business dealings and his administration are still under way. Greene, who has already introduced formal articles of impeachment against Biden and the other officials, told reporters that internal division is preventing Republicans from approving impeachment bills in the House Judiciary Committee. Boebert introduced her proposal as a so-called privileged resolution, subject to a vote within two legislative days, and Greene said she would consider a similar move. Greene was one of the few Republicans who voiced open support for Boebert's impeachment resolution.

Persons: Joe Biden, JIM WATSON, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, Lauren Boebert, Republican Donald Trump, Trump, Adam Schiff, Schiff, Anna Paulina Luna, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Christopher Wray, McCarthy, Ian Sams, Greene, Boebert, Wray, General Merrick Garland, Alejandro Mayorkas, Matthew Graves, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: White, WASHINGTON, Republicans, U.S . House, Democratic, Republican, U.S, U.S . Capitol, Senate Republicans, Twitter, Biden, Homeland, Thomson Locations: Washington , DC, Mexico, Ukraine, U.S, House

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