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☆ Former Honduran president found guilty in drug trafficking trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Ana Melgar | David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández was found guilty Friday of drug trafficking by an American jury after a two-week trial in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors had accused Hernández, 55, of conspiring with drug cartels during his tenure as they moved more than 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras toward the United States. In exchange, prosecutors said, Hernández received millions of dollars in bribes that he used to fuel his rise in Honduran politics. Hernández was president of Honduras from 2014 until 2022. He was extradited to the United States in 2022 after the completion of his second term in office on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to possess firearms and destructive devices for drug trafficking, and possession of this type of weapon during the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Persons: Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, Prosecutors, Hernández, ” Prosecutors, “ He’s, ” Raymond Colon, “, ”, Hernandez “, General Merrick Garland, Hernández “ Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, ”, Honduran National Police Locations: Honduras, Manhattan, United States

☆ A Google engineer ran a secret startup in China while stealing AI technology, DOJ alleges
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Google employee was accused by the DOJ of stealing confidential AI technology. The DOJ also said he ran a Chinese-based startup while employed as a software engineer at Google. AdvertisementA Google employee indicted by the US Department of Justice has been accused of stealing confidential AI technology while secretly working for tech companies in China. The indictment said Ding, who lived in Newark and was a Chinese national, joined Google as a software engineer in 2019. In May 2022, Ding started secretly uploading confidential information from Google to his private Google Cloud account, the indictment alleged.

Persons: Linwei Ding, —, Leon Ding, Ding, Castañeda, Merrick Garland Organizations: DOJ, Google, Service, US Department of Justice, Authorities, Business, Prosecutors, FBI, supercomputing Locations: China, Newark , California, Newark, Chinese

☆ Google employee charged with stealing AI trade secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Google employee was charged Tuesday with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the tech giant while secretly working with two Chinese-based companies in the AI industry. Linwei Ding, who also goes by Leon Ding, is charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. As part of his responsibilities at Google, prosecutors say, Ding helped to develop the software deployed in Google’s supercomputing data centers. Ding was a junior employee, Google spokesperson José Castañeda told CNN, and the company monitors file transfers to cloud storage platforms including Google Drive and Dropbox. “We have strict safeguards to prevent the theft of our confidential commercial information and trade secrets,” Castañeda said.

Persons: Linwei Ding, Leon Ding, “, General Merrick Garland, ” Ding, Ding, ”, José Castañeda, ” Castañeda Organizations: CNN, Google, supercomputing, Justice Department, FBI Locations: America, California, China, United States

☆ Ex-Google software engineer charged with stealing AI technology while working with Chinese companies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence technology from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday. "The theft of innovative technology and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating economic and national security consequences." Within weeks of the theft starting, prosecutors say, Ding was offered the position of chief technology officer at an early-stage technology company in China that touted its use of AI technology. The indictment says Ding traveled to China and participated in investor meetings at the company and sought to raise capital for it. Three days later, Google officials learned that he had presented as CEO of one of the Chinese companies at an investor conference in Beijing.

Persons: Linwei Ding, Ding, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Lisa Monaco, Wray Organizations: Google, Justice Department, American Bar Association Conference, Department, Technology, Force, Northern District of, supercomputing, Prosecutors Locations: China, Newark , California, San Francisco, People's Republic of China, United States, Northern District, Northern District of California, Beijing

☆ House Republicans subpoena Attorney General Garland for records from Biden classified documents probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a meeting of the Reproductive Rights Task Force at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2023. House Republicans on Tuesday subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland for records related to a special counsel's investigation of how President Joe Biden handled classified documents. The chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees demanded that Garland give them transcripts, notes, video and audio files from special counsel Robert Hur's probe. The chairmen linked the request directly to their ongoing presidential impeachment inquiry, which centers on allegations that Biden and his family engaged in corrupt business practices. Biden later that same day is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden, Garland, Robert Hur's, Biden, Jim Jordan, James Comer Organizations: Force, Justice Department, Washington , D.C, House Republicans Locations: Washington ,, Ohio, United States, Ky

☆ US Justice Department Says It Disrupted Russian Intelligence Hacking Network
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it disrupted a Russian intelligence hacking network. "The Justice Department is accelerating our efforts to disrupt the Russian government's cyber campaigns against the United States and our allies, including Ukraine," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "In this case, Russian intelligence services turned to criminal groups to help them target home and office routers, but the Justice Department disabled their scheme," he added. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 Images(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)Photos You Should See View All 22 Images

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Kanishka Singh Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Department, U.S, Justice Department Locations: United States, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Biden lawyers wrote to AG Garland objecting to aspects of Hur’s report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The White House wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland the day before special counsel Robert Hur’s report was released, vehemently objecting to aspects of the report – including its “multiple denigrating statements” about the president’s memory. Ultimately, Hur did not appear to heed calls by Biden’s lawyers to produce a narrow and concise report limited to the facts of the charging decision. The lawyers wrote Hur’s report “mirrors one of the most widely-recognized examples in recent history of inappropriate prosecutor criticism of uncharged conduct.”“The FBI and DOJ personnel’s criticism of uncharged conduct during investigations in connection with the 2016 election was found to violate ‘long-standing Department practice and protocol,’” the lawyers wrote. The letter underscores the deep anger generated by Hur’s report inside the White House and lays bare tensions between Biden’s team and Garland. CNN has previously reported that frustrations have run high inside the White House regarding some of Garland’s decisions related to the classified documents matter.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden’s, Hur, —, ”, Bob Bauer, Edward Siskel, Garland, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, Biden, General Bradley Weinsheimer, Bauer, Richard Sauber, Weinsheimer –, Eric Holder Organizations: Washington CNN, DOJ, FBI, Politico, The New York Times, CNN, White, Department

(AP) — President Joe Biden's personal attorney said Sunday he went to both the special counsel and the attorney general to register concerns over what he viewed to be pejorative and unnecessary digs at the president's memory. “This is a report that went off the rails,” Bob Bauer said on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday. “It’s evident that he had committed to make the report public the way that the special counsel had written it,” said Bauer. He said the special counsel made a decision “to cherry pick in a very misleading way” what references made it in and what didn't. The Justice Department has not commented on the criticism.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Bob Bauer, “, Robert Hur, General Merrick Garland, Mr, Biden, Beau, Beau Biden, Jill Biden, Bauer, Anita Dunn, Hur, Garland, ”, Rod Rosenstein, that’s, he'd, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Hur, ” Bauer Organizations: Sunday, CBS, Democrats, White, Department, Former Trump, CNN, “, Union, of Justice, Justice Department, U.S . Capitol, Republican, Trump, The Locations: WILMINGTON, Del, Israel, U.S

☆ Texas woman who threatened judge overseeing Trump’s Mar-a-Lago case sentenced to three years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Josh Campbell | Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In the voicemails, Tiffani Shea Gish threatened to have US District Judge Aileen Cannon assassinated in front of her family for “helping” the former president, as CNN previously reported. Cannon handled the former president’s request for a special master to review documents and other items the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago. Following her prison sentence, US District Judge David Hittner ordered Gish to serve three years of supervised release, the sentencing order reads. Federal officials have seen a dramatic increase in threats since the search at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. In another instance, a Texas woman was charged in August with threatening in a voicemail to kill the federal judge overseeing Trump’s criminal case in Washington, DC, over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Tiffani Shea Gish, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, “ Donald Trump, You’re, ” Gish, Gish, David Hittner, Hittner, Tiffani Gish, Alamdar, Hamdani, General Merrick Garland, Abigail Jo Shry, Tanya Chutkan, Trump ”, Chutkan Organizations: CNN, Houston, Office, Southern, Southern District of, of Prisons, US, Mar Locations: Florida, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Mar, Houston, Lago, Texas, Washington , DC

Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesThe Biden campaign circulated talking points to allies that were obtained by The Associated Press. Biden aides say they do not expect the president or his campaign to take on the age question more directly. Messina compared the special counsel's report to former FBI Director James Comey's October 2016 announcement that he was further investigating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of classified emails. Beyond celebrating the release of the special counsel's embarrassing descriptions of Biden, Trump won a new trove of delegates in Nevada's Thursday caucuses, where he ran unopposed. Barry Goodman, a Biden fundraiser from Michigan, said he’s had some donors “take a wait and see approach” about supporting Biden, even before the special counsel’s announcement.

Persons: Joe Biden's, couldn't, Biden, Robert Hur's, Beau, Hur, “, ” Sen, Brian Schatz, they’ve, Trump, MAGA, doesn’t, ”, —, Kamala Harris, LaJoia Broughton, can’t, Sleepy Joe, Kate Berner, “ Donald Trump, Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s, Messina, James Comey's, Hillary Clinton's, “ There’s, ” Messina, “ Trump, I’d, Trump's, Joe Biden, What’s, ” Donald Trump Jr, Barry Goodman, he’s, ” Goodman, Goodman, Trav Robertson, General Merrick Garland, “ Merrick Garland, ” Robertson, Biden's, gaffes, Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley, Biden didn't, Dan Goldman, Robert Garcia, Mike Johnson, ” Garcia, ” ___, Bill Barrow, Ayanna Alexander Organizations: WASHINGTON, Joe Biden's Democratic, Democrats, Capitol, “ Republicans, Trump, The Associated Press, Democratic, Biden, Clinton, South Carolina Democratic Party, Republican, ” ___ Peoples Locations: Hawaii, U.S, Florida, Washington, South Carolina, Columbia, Nevada's, Michigan, Mexico, Iran, Israel, New York, Atlanta

☆ Trump ramps up attacks on special counsel decision not to charge Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump on Saturday ramped up his criticism of special counsel Robert Hur’s decision not to charge President Joe Biden over his handling of classified documents, while repeatedly questioning his successor’s mental acuity and peddling conspiratorial claims about former President Barack Obama. In a scattershot speech to supporters in South Carolina, Trump rolled out a wave of attacks on Biden. “If Joe Biden is not fit to charge, they are not going to judge him with a crime, but it’s OK for him to become commander in chief?” Trump said. (Smith brought charges against Trump last year related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House.) “This undeniable record speaks to why it’s no surprise that Republican officials’ continue their desperate – and inadvertently self-undermining – age attacks after many years of failure: they’re afraid of Joe Biden,” Bates wrote.

Persons: Donald Trump, Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Trump, Biden, forgetful, Hur, Obama –, ” Trump, “ Biden, he’s, ” Biden, Merrick Garland, Garland, Joe, scot, Jack Smith, Smith, ” Hur, “, Andrew Bates, Mark Milley, Kevin McCarthy –, ’, ” Bates, Bates, TJ Ducklo, ‘, ” “, CNN’s Arlette Saenz, Priscilla Alvarez Organizations: CNN, Department, DOJ, FBI, White, Republicans, Trump, Mar, National Archives, Department of Justice, Border Patrol, Biden, National Rifle Association, “, PAC, Justice Locations: South Carolina, Pennsylvania, America

The White House has said Biden erred in having the documents in his home and Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel's office, said on Friday that Biden would soon name a task force “to ensure that there are better processes in place” to protect classified materials when administrations change. and grew visibly angry at the White House, as he denied forgetting when his son died. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46. Sams suggested that the political environment led Hur, who was appointed as U.S. attorney by former President Donald Trump, to include the comments. “There’s an environment that we are in, that generates a ton of pressure, because you have congressional Republicans, other Republicans, attacking prosecutors that they don’t like,” he said.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's, Robert Hur, General Merrick Garland, Biden, Ian Sams, Beau, Hur, Sams, Harris, ” Harris, ”, Beau Biden, Donald Trump, “ Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Justice, White House, Maryland U.S, Justice Department, White Locations: Israel, United States of America

Hur cleared Biden of criminal wrongdoing in the 345-page report but inserted many unflattering references to Biden personally – calling him a "well-meaning, elderly man" with trouble remembering things. The Best Political Cartoons on Joe Biden View All 270 ImagesThe White House came back to the issue Friday with a fury. He noted that on Page 2 of the report, Hur argued that Biden "willfully" retained materials – but "buried way later on Page 215," the report said there was a shortage of evidence to support that. "I would call it a backhanded exoneration of President Biden. Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade said Hur "seems to go out of his way to smear Joe Biden.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's, Robert Hur, Donald Trump, Merrick Garland, Hur, Biden, –, Beau, Joe Biden, Harris, Ian Sams, Sams, It's, Norm Eisen, Eisen, Barbara McQuade, McQuade, Trump, Garland Organizations: White, Biden, Trump, Former Justice Department, Department, GOP Locations: Israel, Maryland

☆ Special counsel feeds frenzy over Biden’s age
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

An independent special counsel poured kerosene on concerns about Joe Biden’s age with pointed language about the president’s poor memory after concluding Biden had willfully mishandled classified documents – and that his failing memory makes him impossible to convict. ► He appears poised for a win at the Supreme Court. Feeding the frenzy about Biden’s ageIn concluding Biden should not be prosecuted, Special Counsel Robert Hur, a former Trump-appointed US Attorney in Maryland, offered a political indictment of the president’s fitness. Still, larger Trump-related questions loom for the Supreme Court, such as whether Trump enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution. Trump attorney Jonathan Mitchell speaks before the Supreme Court on February 8.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley’s, It’s, Robert Hur, Hur, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, “, ’, Beau, ”, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, CNN’s Wolf, General Merrick Garland, Biden’s, Lago, Hur’s, Barack Obama, Obama, –, Joe Biden's, Trump’s, Haley, Jonathan Mitchell, Bill Hennessy Trump’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Republican, Supreme, Trump, Oval, ”, Biden, Maryland Democrat, Democratic, House Democrats, National Archives, Mar, Department of Justice, Virgin Islands, South Locations: Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, Carolina, Virginia, Biden’s Delaware, Florida, Afghanistan, Joe Biden's Delaware, Virgin, South Carolina, Washington ,

Washington CNN —Special counsel Robert Hur released a searing report Thursday that concluded President Joe Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information but recommended he not face charges after a yearlong investigation into his handling of classified documents. According to the report, Biden – during the 2023 interview – did not remember when his son Beau died nor the years he was vice president. US Department of JusticeDifferences between Trump and Biden classified documents investigationsThe report’s findings drew harsh criticism from Trump, who is preparing for a general election rematch with Biden in November. “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite,” Hur wrote. “We do not believe that the report’s treatment of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate,” Sauber and Bauer wrote.

Persons: Robert Hur, Joe Biden, “, ” Hur, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Hur, wouldn’t, he’s, Hur “, Biden –, –, Beau, Joe Biden's, US Department of Justice “ Mr, Biden “, seething Biden, I’ve, ” Biden, Biden’s, Jack Smith, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Bauer, ” Bauer, Sauber, General Merrick Garland, Biden's, Investigators, Steve Ricchetti, Kathy Chung, CNN’s Betsy Klein, Nikki Carvajal, Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: Washington CNN, of Justice, Republican, US Department of Justice, House, Trump, FBI, US Department of, Republicans, White, Biden, National Archives, Department of Justice, flouted, ” Sauber, CNN, Congressional, Justice Department Locations: Joe Biden's Delaware, Israel, Biden’s Wilmington , Delaware, Afghanistan, Florida, Delaware, Washington , DC, Ukraine, Iran, United Kingdom, Biden's Delaware

"There's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events," Biden said in a hastily called news conference at the White House. How in the hell dare he raise that?” Biden said, turning emotional as he often does when he speaks of Beau Biden, who died of a brian tumor in 2015. The report said Biden would not be charged, noting there was not sufficient evidence to prove he had willfully intended to retain the documents. The report was written by special counsel Robert Hur, a Trump appointee brought in by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden in this case. Before the unredacted report was released, Biden lawyer Robert Bauer sent a scathing letter to Hur on the personal comments about Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, Beau Biden, brian, Donald Trump, Robert Hur, General Merrick Garland, Robert Bauer, Hur, Bauer, ’, Jamie Raskin Organizations: Department, Justice, White, Department of Justice, Biden, Trump, Republicans, GOP, Fox News, Maryland Democrat Locations: Gaza, Mexico, Maryland

☆ Who Is Robert Hur, Special Counsel on Biden Classified Document Probe?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Robert Hur, the special counsel appointed to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, is a former high-ranking Justice Department official with experience in prosecuting sensitive leak investigations. On Thursday, he concluded that probe and found that Biden retained classified materials about Afghanistan after leaving the vice presidency in 2017 but said he will not be criminally charged. Hur was appointed by Donald Trump in 2018 as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Maryland and left that position in early 2021. Under Hur, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office prosecuted the case of former National Security Agency contractor Harold Martin, who stole huge amounts of classified material from U.S. intelligence agencies. A graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard College, Hur served as top aide to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein before his appointment as the U.S. attorney in Maryland.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Robert Hur, Joe Biden, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Hur, Trump, Gibson, Dunn, Garland, Washington . Hur, Donald Trump, Harold Martin, Martin, Rod Rosenstein, William Rehnquist, Christopher Wray, Kanishka Singh, Gram Slattery, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Maryland U.S, National Security Agency, Stanford Law School, Harvard College, Supreme, Justice Department, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, U.S, Maryland, Delaware, Washington

President Joe Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency," according to a special counsel's final report released Thursday. But the special counsel, Robert Hur, said he was declining to prosecute Biden over his handling of classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, and other material. "Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen," Hur wrote. "We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter," the report said. "We reach the same conclusion even if Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president."

Persons: Joe Biden, Eisenhower, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: of Justice, White House, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, Palm

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will not seek any redactions in a report by the Justice Department special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents, the White House said Thursday, clearing the way for its release. White House Counsel's office spokesman Ian Sams said the White House had notified the Justice Department that it had completed a review of the report Thursday morning. The public report may still include some redactions by the Justice Department of any classified information. The yearlong investigation centered on the improper retention of classified documents by Biden from his time as a senator and as vice president. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a letter to Congress Wednesday that he was committed to disclosing as much of the document as possible once the White House review was complete.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ian Sams, ”, Biden, Obama, Donald Trump, General Merrick Garland Organizations: WASHINGTON, Justice Department, White Locations: Delaware

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department special counsel investigating President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents has completed his inquiry and a report is expected to be made public soon, Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers in a letter Wednesday. Garland did not detail the conclusions of the report from special counsel Robert Hur, but did say that he was committed to disclosing as much of it as possible once the White House completes a review of the document for potential executive privilege concerns.

Persons: Joe Biden's, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Robert Hur Organizations: WASHINGTON, Department, White

On Tuesday, nearly two years after he was extradited to the United States, he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in a federal court in New York. By pleading guilty to a single drug trafficking charge, Bonilla avoided a trial scheduled to begin Monday and likely a much longer sentence. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel confirmed Wednesday that Hernández’s trial would begin Monday. Hernández was extradited to the U.S. in April 2022, just three months after leaving office, and faces drug trafficking and weapons charges. Hernández’s rise to lead Honduras’ congress and then to run for president was fueled in part by drug money, prosecutors allege.

Persons: Juan Carlos Bonilla, El, ”, Bonilla, Juan Orlando Hernández, Kevin Castel, Mauricio Hernández Pineda, Hernández’s, Marlon Duarte, Duarte, Hernández, General Merrick Garland, Hernández “, ” Bonilla, Porfirio Lobo Organizations: National Police, District, U.S . U.S, U.S, Prosecutors Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, El Tigre, United States, New York, U.S, Honduran, Manhattan

NEW YORK (AP) — First National Bank of Pennsylvania discriminated against Black and Latino homebuyers in North Carolina for a period of at least four years, the Justice Department said Monday, the latest in a long list of banks who have been caught redlining. In its complaint, the DOJ alleges that First National closed branches in majority-minority neighborhoods, failed to provide mortgage services to Black and Latino potential borrowers, and ignored entire neighborhoods for potential lending. The case comes from when FNB bought Yadkin Bank, a regional bank in the Carolinas, in 2017. “The playing field isn’t level, and that is not what we want for the people of North Carolina,” said Josh Stein, North Carolina's Attorney General. The DOJ brought the largest redlining lawsuit in history in 2023 against Los Angeles-based City National Bank, which was also found to have discriminated against Black and Latino communities over a similar time period, from 2017 to 2020.

Persons: redlining, FNB, ”, Josh Stein, Biden, General Merrick Garland Organizations: National Bank of Pennsylvania, Justice Department, The Justice Department, Black, DOJ, National, FNB, Yadkin Bank, Biden Administration, Los, National Bank Locations: North Carolina, Charlotte, Winston, Salem, Black, Carolinas, Yadkin, North, Los Angeles

☆ Illicit Iranian programs targeted by sanctions and criminal charges, US says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Michael Conte | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —The US announced a number of measures including sanctions and criminal charges targeting a range of malicious Iranian initiatives, including their cyberwarfare and drone programs, as well as Iran’s alleged illegal oil trafficking to fund foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier in the day, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against several Iran- and Hong Kong-based companies for allegedly supporting Iran’s drone program and missile production. The three alleged front companies in Hong Kong and an Iranian subsidiary allegedly obtained components, such as engines and carburetors, for Iran’s drone program. Treasury also announced sanctions targeting the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber–Electronic Command and five other senior officials for alleged cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the US and other countries. That’s a reference to a series of hacks that defaced computers at multiple water utilities in the US in November.

Persons: Biden, ”, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Brian Nelson, Matthew Miller, That’s, ” John Hultquist, Mandiant, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz Organizations: Washington CNN, US, Justice Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Department, DOJ, FBI, Treasury Department, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Command, Google, CNN, Boston Children’s Hospital Locations: Iran, Jordan, Omani, ”, Washington ,, United States, Hong Kong, Iranian, Israel, Boston, Tehran

☆ Opinion: Swatting by Trump’s followers is putting public officials in danger. It has to stop
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Adam Kinzinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“I will tell you that the last thing you want is to see multiple law enforcement officials with guns drawn pointing at my parents and thinking that something happened,” the former South Carolina governor told NBC. It’s been in the headlines recently because of a spate of incidents involving public officials. When prominent public officials are victims of swatting, one can’t always prove a cause-and-effect relationship between inflammatory rhetoric posted online or delivered during a speech and a caller’s reckless false emergency call to 911. We need tougher laws to protect public servants, and some states are increasing penalties for perpetrators of swatting. Swatting increases the likeliness of inadvertent harm to the public by the very people whose job it is to protect us.

Persons: Adam Kinzinger, Kinzinger, Tina ”, Tina ’, Nikki Haley, Haley, swatting, Andrew Finch, Finch, ”, It’s, GOP Florida Sen, Rick Scott, Scott, Anthony Gonzalez, Donald Trump ., Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, “ TRUMP, Engoron, Jack Smith, Tanya Chutkan, Shenna Bellows, Joe Biden, David, Brennan, I’m, I’d, General Merrick Garland, Katherine Schweit, Nikki Haley’s Organizations: CNN, Republican, House Foreign Affairs, Air National Guard, Adam Kinzinger CNN, Police, Congress, Press, South, NBC, FBI, GOP Florida, swatting, Rep, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Washington Post, New, Trump, Maricopa County Board, Brennan Center for Justice, University of Chicago, Justice Department, The Washington Post, Post Locations: Illinois, Washington, DC, South Carolina, Wichita , Kansas, Anthony Gonzalez of, Ohio, Virginia, toning, New York, Trump, Maine, Arizona, Maricopa, Nevada, The

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland will undergo back surgery this weekend and delegate his duties to the deputy attorney general during the procedure, the Justice Department said Monday. Garland, 71, will be under general anesthesia during the back procedure on Saturday, which will last about 90 minutes and is “minimally invasive,” said Xochitl Hinojosa, director of public affairs at the Justice Department. He is expected to return home the same day, she said. Garland will delegate his duties to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco shortly before, during and for a short time after the procedure as he recovers from the anesthesia, the statement said. He is expected to return to work the week of Feb. 5.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Lloyd Austin, Garland, ”, Xochitl Hinojosa, Lisa Monaco, Austin, can’t Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Justice Department, Pentagon, White

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