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The preemptory step by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis comes after the grand jurors who returned the 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others were subjected to harassment when their information was posted online. Willis wrote in a motion filed Wednesday that the grand jurors' information was posted “with the intent to harass and intimidate them." Political Cartoons View All 1146 ImagesLegal experts have said it's standard for indictments in Georgia to include the names of the grand jurors, in part because it provides defendants the opportunity to challenge the composition of the grand jury. So the names of the 23 grand jurors who heard the district attorney's evidence and voted to approve charges were included on the indictment. Attached to Willis' motion were sworn statements from Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and an investigator in Willis' office.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis, Scott McAfee, “, Darin Schierbaum, Schierbaum, Gerald Walsh, Walsh Organizations: ATLANTA, Fulton, Trump, Atlanta Police, Sheriff's Locations: The Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton, Russia

☆ Fulton County DA seeks to keep potential juror identities secret in election interference case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants to keep the identities of jurors who may be chosen to hear the Georgia 2020 election interference case secret, after grand jurors who issued the indictment against Donald Trump and his allies were doxed online, according to a new court filing. “Based on the doxing of Fulton County grand jurors and the Fulton County District Attorney, it is clearly foreseeable that trial jurors will likely be doxed should their names be made available to the public,” according to the filing. The names of the grand jurors were included on the indictment as a matter of practice for indictments in Fulton County. However, the indictment, which is a public record available on the court website, does not include their addresses or any other personally identifiable information. It notes that personal information for Willis and members of her family was also shared online.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, ’, ”, Trump, Russia “ Organizations: CNN, Attorney, ” CNN, Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security, Russia, DHS Locations: Fulton County, Georgia

☆ Rammstein Singer Till Lindemann Is Cleared of Sexual Assault Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Berlin’s public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said it had dropped its sexual assault investigation into Till Lindemann, the frontman for the rock band Rammstein, citing a lack of evidence. The investigation began in June after several women said that Mr. Lindemann had plied young people with alcohol and drugs before, during and after concerts in order to have sex with them. Lawyers for Mr. Lindemann denied those claims in a statement and threatened legal action against those making the claims and news outlets reporting on them. “I thank all those who have waited impartially for the end of the investigation,” Mr. Lindemann, 60, posted to Instagram on Tuesday. When the German news media reported on the allegations of impropriety against the leader of one of the country’s most successful modern music groups, commercial partners ended their ties with Mr. Lindemann.

Persons: Till Lindemann, Lindemann, ” Mr

☆ The Fulton County courthouse has been slogging through more than 2,000 potential jurors for the RICO case against Young Thug. Here's what that means for Georgia's case against Trump and associates.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fulton County has spent eight months picking jurors for the trial of Young Thug and his associates. One involves the prolific Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his associates, who prosecutors allege are all part of a "criminal street gang" called Young Slime Life or YSL. Defendants, including Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, have maintained that YSL is just an artist label. In the past eight months, the Fulton County courthouse has been slogging through more than 2,000 potential jurors for the Young Thug trial. Similarly, jurors will be questioned about their political beliefs and if they will be able to put that aside in the Trump case.

Persons: Young Thug, Young, Jeffery Williams, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Trump, Georgia's, Melissa Redmon, Redmon Organizations: Service, Atlanta, University of Georgia School of Law, Attorney's, New York Times, Republican Locations: Fulton County, Wall, Silicon, Fulton County , Georgia, Fulton

However, the delays affected the sites for rival platforms, as well as news outlets that Twitter owner Elon Musk has previously criticized. Will Dormann, a cybersecurity researcher, plugged the New York Times website into a basic command program on his Mac and compared the loading time for that website with that of a dummy website. The load time for the New York Times site was about 4.5 seconds longer, Dormann told CNN Tuesday. X, like other platforms, uses a link-shortener service to collect information on users who click on links shared on the platform. Reuters said in a statement that it was aware of reports “of a delay in opening links to Reuters stories on X.

Persons: Musk, Elon Musk, Will Dormann, Dormann, ” Dormann, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, ” “ Elon won’t, ” Zuckerberg, cofounders Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, Jairaj Sethi, ”, cofounders, ” Bluesky, X, Jon Passantino, Oliver Darcy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, New York Times, Reuters, Facebook, CNN, NBA.com, Target, Hacker, The New York Times Locations: New York

☆ Reactions to appointment of a special counsel in Hunter Biden case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Weiss said Hunter Biden may be headed for trial on criminal charges after talks on a potential plea deal reached an impasse. If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel? Garland appointing Weiss as a sham special counsel on Hunter is a way to block info from Congress while claiming they're investigating. The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family's corruption." REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE LAUREN BOEBERT ON X:"Merrick Garland just announced that he will appoint US Attorney Weiss as Special Counsel to look into Hunter Biden's matters.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, General Merrick Garland's, David Weiss, Joe Biden's, Weiss, KEVIN MCCARTHY, Biden, couldn’t, DICK DURBIN, Garland, Biden’s, Trump, Trump’s, STEVE SCALISE, Hunter, STEVEN CHEUNG, DONALD TRUMP, RUSSELL, JIM JORDAN, David Weiss can’t, JAMES COMER, General Garland, Biden's, LINDSEY GRAHAM, you've, BYRON DONALDS, LAUREN BOEBERT, Merrick Garland, I'm, NIKKI HALEY, Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Josephine Walker, Jasper Ward, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, TWITTER, DOJ, Republicans, DEMOCRATIC, Justice Department, U.S, Justice Department’s, Biden, REPUBLICAN, Biden Justice Department, FOX, Biden Fam, US, Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Wilmington , Delaware, U.S, Delaware, Washington

☆ Reactions to appointment of a US special counsel in Hunter Biden case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Protesters oppose Petrobras oil exploration plan at mouth of Amazon river
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Brazil's state-run Petrobras oil company is seen on a tank in at Petrobras Paulinia refinery in Paulinia, Brazil July 1, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File PhotoBELEM, Brazil, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Environmental demonstrators protested on Sunday against plans by Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) to drill for oil at the mouth of the Amazon river. Petrobras has appealed against a decision by Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, to deny it permission to drill an exploratory well at the mouth of the Amazon, saying the request lacked an environmental assessment of the project. It reaches a technical opinion that must be obeyed," said the minister, who has opposed the plan to drill at the mouth of the Amazon. Lula said Guyana's president would like Petrobras to explore for oil off-shore from his country.

Persons: Paulo Whitaker, Luis Barbosa, Marina Silva, Ibama, Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Leonardo Benassatto, Leslie Adler Organizations: Petrobras Paulinia, REUTERS, Environmental, Petrobras, PETR4, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Paulinia, Brazil, BELEM, Amazon, Suriname, Guyana, Amapá

“No way I can get a fair trial, or even close to a fair trial, in Washington, D.C. Several January 6 defendants have argued that there’s been too much pretrial publicity in DC for a fair trial and that the jury pool in the city would be too biased. Still, Trump attorney John Lauro on Sunday cast doubt on the idea that Trump could receive a fair trial in the nation’s capital. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who recently made his sharpest condemnation of Trump, told CBS on Sunday he “would hope” Trump can receive a fair trial in Washington. That’s one reason why the January 6 defendants’ trials have gone forward without delay even though so many attempted to move their cases out of Washington, DC.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Trump –, there’s, Roger Stone, Richard Nixon, Trump, John Lauro, ” Lauro, CNN’s Dana, Lauro, ”, I’m, Trump’s, Chris Christie, Bash, ” Christie, Mike Pence, Jeffrey Skilling, Tsarnaev Organizations: CNN, DC, Capitol, Democratic, ”, Court, CBS, Union, District of Columbia, Sunday, Enron, Boston Marathon Locations: Washington ,, Washington, DC, West Virginia, “ State, New Jersey, Houston, Boston

☆ Justice Sam Alito took a luxury fishing trip with a billionaire who supports a group that wants to block Biden's student-loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ProPublica reported that Justice Sam Alito took a luxury fishing trip with billionaire Paul Singer in 2008. Both Singer and Alito denied discussing any business interests related to SCOTUS cases on the trip. That group also filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court asking it to block Biden's relief plan — a decision the court is expected to hand down in the coming days. The spokesperson also said that Singer did not have "any pending matters before the Supreme Court, nor could Mr. Singer have anticipated in 2008 that a subsequent matter would arise that would merit Supreme Court review." "On no occasion have we discussed the activities of his businesses, and we have never talked about any case or issue before the Court," Alito wrote.

Persons: ProPublica, Sam Alito, Paul Singer, Singer, Alito, SCOTUS, —, Jr, Joe Biden's, Biden, Brown, SBPC, Paul Singer's, Miguel Cardona Organizations: Manhattan Institute, GOP, Service, Republican, Congress, Street, Protection Center, . Nebraska, US Department of Education, Network, Judicial, Democratic, Biden Locations: —, Alaska, ., Brown, Brown and Nebraska

☆ Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito takes heat for trip on private jet owned by hedge-fund billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senate Democrats on Wednesday blasted Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for failing to disclose as a gift his trip on a private plane owned by hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer to travel with Singer to a luxury fishing excursion. "He allowed me to occupy what would have otherwise been an unoccupied seat on a private flight to Alaska," Alito wrote. But ProPublica said that Alito appears to have broken the financial disclosure law because the law requires disclosure of gifts of private jet flights. "I will tell you this defense offered by Justice Alito is laughable, laughable," Durbin said, referring to Alito's op-ed, according to NBC News. Durbin called on Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a code of ethics for the high court, which lacks one.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Paul Singer, Singer, Alito, ProPublica, Sen, Dick Durbin, Justice Alito, Durbin, John Roberts Organizations: Wednesday, Management, Street, Supreme, Illinois Democrat, NBC News Locations: Argentina, Alaska

☆ New Zealand national broadcaster launches review after stories altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The broadcaster, which first revealed the issues last Friday, said its board decided an independent review was necessary. The panel would review editorial processes and "examine factors and warning signs, which led to international wire stories being subedited with inappropriate content," it said in a statement. Reuters supplied 21 of the altered stories and one came from Britain's BBC, RNZ's list of stories that have been corrected shows. The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on RNZ's move to review its internal processes. The panel includes New Zealand media law expert Willy Akel, public law expert and former journalist Linda Clark and former director of editorial standards at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Alan Sunderland.

Persons: RNZ, Ukraine impartially, Jim Mather, Willy Akel, Linda Clark, Alan Sunderland, Clark, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Radio New Zealand, BBC, Reuters, Thomson, RNZ, New, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sunderland Locations: Ukraine, China, Taiwan, RNZ

Trump has long accused it and the U.S. Justice Department of being out to get him. Trump's closest rival for the nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, decried the "weaponization" of federal bureaucracy after Trump's indictment. Haley said Trump had acted recklessly, although she also said the FBI and Justice Department had "lost all credibility with the American people." None of the Republican president campaigns responded to requests for comment about their criticism of federal law enforcement and calls for an overhaul. A spokesman for the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, declined to comment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Kyle Kondik, University of Virginia Center for Politics . Trump, Trump's, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Clinton, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Biden, Christopher Wray, Timothy Naftali, Naftali, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, Haley, Bill Bowen, Bowen, Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, Gram Slattery, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Trump, U.S . Justice Department of, University of Virginia Center for Politics ., Reuters, White, FBI, Justice Department, Democratic, Department, New, South Carolina, Republican National Committee, U.S . Capitol, Thomson Locations: Russia, Florida, New Jersey, Arkansas, Portsmouth , New Hampshire

☆ Radio New Zealand investigates ‘inappropriate editing’ of Ukraine war stories
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Fourteen of the stories had been supplied by Reuters and one came from Britain’s BBC, the links to the stories show. RNZ said in a statement it was continuing a detailed audit and analysis of all stories that could have been inappropriately edited. “Reuters has addressed the issue with RNZ, which has initiated an investigation,” a spokesperson for Reuters said. The issue became public after changes were made to a June 8 Reuters story about the use of the word “war” in Russia. They have also accused Russia of using false allegations of suppression of ethnic Russians to justify pro-Moscow separatist groups declaring independence in eastern Ukraine.

Persons: RNZ, “, ”, Ukraine impartially, Willie Jackson, Paul Thompson, Viktor Yanukovich Organizations: New Zealand CNN, New, Radio New Zealand, Reuters, BBC, “ Reuters, Thomson, ”, European Union, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Wellington, New Zealand, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Moscow, Ukraine’s, Russian

☆ The judge assigned to hear Disney's lawsuit against Ron DeSantis just disqualified himself from the case because a 'third-degree' relative owns stock in the company. A Trump appointee will replace him
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Obama-nominated Judge Mark Walker recused himself from the Disney lawsuit. The case will now go before Judge Allen Winsor, a nominee of President Donald Trump — who is challenging DeSantis for the 2024 nomination for president. Walker denied that specific request, calling it "meritless" and accusing DeSantis of "rank judge-shopping," but he still disqualified himself from hearing Disney's lawsuit over the ethical conflict. Walt Disney Co., the parent company of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, is headquartered in Burbank, California, but the company holds powerful sway in Florida through Walt Disney World, which has roughly 70,000 employees and is the state's biggest tourist attraction. Neither a representative for the board, the governor's office, nor Disney immediately responded to a request for comment from Insider.

Persons: Obama, Mark Walker, Judge Allen Winsor, —, Ron DeSantis, Walker, Allen Winsor, Donald Trump —, Winsor, Pam Bondi, DeSantis, Barack Obama, Disney, Governor DeSantis Organizations: Disney, Trump, Service, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Florida Gov, Walt Disney Co, British, Court, Northern, Northern District of, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney, Circuit Locations: Florida, Northern District, Northern District of Florida, Burbank , California, Central Florida

☆ This 42-year-old mom makes over $200,000 without a bachelor's degree—here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In recent years, however, interest in the profession has plummeted, leading to a national shortage of at least 5,000 reporters, according to the Association for Court Reporters and Captioners. Yet court reporting ticks a lot of boxes on jobseekers' wish lists, says Irene Nakamura, a court reporter in California for more than 30 years and Rodriguez's mentor. In 2022, Rodriguez made about $235,315 as a freelance court reporter, according to tax documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Court reporters also must pass a state-approved exam in order to become certified. In addition to their base salary, court reporters are compensated on a per-page basis for transcripts they produce during court proceedings, according to Nakamura.

Persons: Cynthia Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Irene Nakamura, Nakamura Organizations: Association for Court, CNBC, Bakersfield Community College, National Court Reporters Association, Superior Court Locations: Bakersfield , California, U.S, California, Delano , California, Bakersfield, Kern

☆ Illumen Capital just closed its second fund worth $168 million to tackle racial and gender bias in asset management using this 10-slide LP deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A fund of funds investing to make venture capital more equitable just closed its second fund. Oakland-based Illumen Capital secured $168 million to back people of color and women. An impact fund of funds tackling racial and gender bias in asset management has just closed its second $168 million fund with the Ford Foundation and W.K. As a fund of funds, Illumen Capital hopes to solve this by addressing implicit biases. When looking at the data, Illumen Capital found that they had the same revenue marks as white entrepreneurs not considered too early.

☆ E. Jean Carroll's team wanted to dismiss a juror during the Trump sexual abuse and defamation trial who described Tim Pool's podcast as 'balanced'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New filings from E. Jean Carroll's case against Donald Trump reveal her team sought to dismiss a juror. On April 30, Carroll's team moved to dismiss Juror No. The juror was ultimately allowed to stay on after a judge rejected the request from Carroll's team, according to Politico. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages for the sexual abuse and defamation claims. 77 was among the nine jurors who unanimously found Trump was liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll.

☆ The Deep State Is All Too Real
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( David Bernhardt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Wonder Land: Joe Biden and Donald Trump ignore a mother’s wisdom to the detriment of the country. Images: AP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyThere are two competing conceptions of American governance: the version students are taught in the classroom, and the one that exists in the real world. In practice, however, power has become concentrated in the executive branch and largely wielded by unaccountable career bureaucrats. The notion of a “deep state” isn’t a conspiratorial talking point but a manifest political reality. As the Constitution outlines, the U.S. has three distinct and coequal branches of government: a legislature that passes laws, an executive branch that implements them, and a judiciary that interprets them.

☆ China brokering a deal between the Saudis and Iran is a message for the US: Change your strategy or get left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hassan El-Tayyab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had normalized relations in a deal brokered by China. Hassan El-Tayyab is legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. By mediating the Saudi-Iran deal, China has demonstrated its ability to play a constructive role in resolving conflicts impartially, rather than relying on arms sales to keep nations in America's corner in geopolitical disputes. There have been some positive signs for diplomacy in Yemen since the Saudi-Iran deal was announced. Hassan El-Tayyab is the legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

☆ Reaction to Lineker being pulled from presenting by the BBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the decision to take Gary Lineker off air is indefensible. LABOUR PARTY LEADER KEIR STARMER"The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker." FORMER LABOUR LEADER JEREMY CORBYN"Well done Gary Lineker for standing up for refugees. FORMER CULTURE SECRETARY NADINE DORRIES"News that Gary Lineker has been stood down for investigation is welcome and shows BBC are serious about impartiality." "The perception out there is going to be that Gary Lineker, a much-loved television presenter, was taken off air after government pressure on a particular issue."

☆ Who is Matthew Kacsmaryk, the Trump-appointed Texas judge who could ban abortion pills?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Matthew Kacsmaryk is a Texas federal judge who was nominated by Donald Trump in 2017. Kacsmaryk graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1999 and received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2003. The Post reported that it was during law school when Kacsmaryk focused on abortion rights. Kacsmaryk also served as the executive editor of the Texas Review of Law & Politics and received two Dean's Achievement Awards, according to the questionnaire. During his undergraduate years, studying political science, Kacsmaryk was outspoken about his conservative views and stances on abortion.

☆ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse demands more transparency on gifts, food, lodging and entertainment that federal judges and Supreme Court justices receive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter to an agency demanding more information on ethics rules for federal judges. Unlike lower federal judges, Supreme Court justices are not bound by a code of conduct. In a new letter obtained by Insider, Whitehouse demanded answers on how the justices and all other federal judges disclose hospitality they receive, including gifts, food, lodging and entertainment. The letter is a follow-up to a lengthy back-and-forth in recent years between Whitehouse and the agency on the judges' ethics rules. The American Bar Association also urged the Supreme Court this month to adopt ethics rules similar to those followed by all other federal judges.

☆ Soccer’s Premier League accuses Manchester City of breaching financial rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, on September 14, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom. The Premier League has referred the club to an enquiry over an alleged breach of financial rules. LONDON — The English Premier League on Monday announced it has referred soccer club Manchester City to an independent commission over alleged breaches of its financial rules. A commission will be held in private, with members appointed by the chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel. A spokesperson for Manchester City was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

☆ Justice Department tells House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan that it won't share information about ongoing criminal probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The DOJ told Jim Jordan it wouldn't be able to share all information about ongoing criminal probes. In a letter to Republicans, the DOJ said it needed to preserve the "integrity" of its investigations. "We are committed to cooperating with the Committee's legitimate efforts to seek information," the DOJ said. "The Department will be better able to meet your needs at hearings if your request is specific concerning the information the Committee seeks," the letter read. On Friday, House Judiciary Republicans expressed their disapproval at the response from the Department of Justice.

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