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☆ House subpoenas James and Hunter Biden in GOP-led probe of the president's family
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Ryan Nobles | Summer Concepcion | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

House Republicans on Wednesday issued subpoenas to Hunter and James Biden — President Joe Biden's son and brother, respectively — as well as a Biden family associate, Rob Walker, in an escalation of Republicans' impeachment inquiry into the president. A representative and attorney for Hunter Biden and James Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The subpoenas and interview requests come a day after the special counsel overseeing the probe into Hunter Biden testified before the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors. The panel further alleges that the Biden family, their business associates and their companies received more than $24 million from foreign nations over approximately five years. "These records reveal how the Bidens sold Joe Biden around to the world to benefit the Biden family, including Joe Biden himself, to the detriment of U.S. interests," Comer said in the statement.

Persons: Jason Smith, Joe Biden, Hunter, James Biden, Joe Biden's, —, Biden, Rob Walker, James Comer, Walker, Sara Biden, James, Hallie Biden, Beau ), Elizabeth Secundy, Melissa Cohen, Hunter's, Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden, Ian Sams, Sams, Comer, should've, David Weiss, Weiss, " Weiss, Daniel Goldman, Mary Gay Scanlon, Ted Lieu, Ted Lieu of California —, Scanlon, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Jordan, — Tom Winter Organizations: House Republicans, Biden, Republicans, Judiciary, Justice Department, Committee, United, United States Attorneys, Department of Justice, NBC News, Trump, Democratic, Florida Republican Locations: Longworth, Ky, United States, New York, Ted Lieu of California, Ohio

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s highest court on Wednesday upheld a controversial media law that mandates prison terms for people deemed to be spreading “disinformation,” rejecting the main opposition party’s request for its annulment. It was approved in parliament a year ago with the votes of legislators from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist allies, heightening concerns over media freedoms and free speech in the country. The main opposition party had petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking its annulment, arguing that the law would be used to further silence government critics by cracking down on social media and independent reporting. Freedom of expression and media freedoms have declined dramatically in Turkey over the years. Currently, 19 journalists or media sector workers are behind bars, according to the Journalists’ Union of Turkey.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, Tolga Sardan, Erdogan Organizations: —, Anadolu Agency, Borders, Journalists ’ Union of Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Journalists ’ Union of Turkey

☆ Hunter Biden prosecutor to testify behind closed doors to House Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

File photo: U.S. President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, arrives to appear in a federal court on gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., October 3, 2023. House Republicans allege that the Justice Department improperly interfered with an investigation into Hunter Biden, whose brushes with the law are a central focus of their impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Weiss has headed an investigation into Hunter Biden since 2019. Originally nominated during Republican President Donald Trump's administration, he was allowed to remain in place under Biden. Weiss has charged Hunter Biden, 53, with crimes related to owning a firearm while using illegal drugs.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Hunter Biden, Mike Segar, David Weiss, Biden, Weiss, Mr, Donald Trump's, Trump, impeaching Biden, Makini Brice, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, Justice Department, Department, FBI, IRS, Trump, Thomson Locations: Wilmington , Delaware, U.S

Béjar points to user perception surveys that show, for instance, that 13% of Instagram users — ages 13-15 — reported having received unwanted sexual advances on the platform within the previous seven days. Béjar said he doesn’t believe the reforms he’s suggesting would significantly affect revenue or profits for Meta and its peers. Meta, in a statement, said “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online. Today's testimony comes just two weeks after dozens of U.S. states sued Meta for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuits, filed in state and federal courts, claim that Meta knowingly and deliberately designs features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Persons: Frances Haugen, Arturo Béjar, Mark Zuckerberg, ‘, ”, “, ” Béjar, Zuckerberg, Instagram, Béjar, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, —, doesn’t, ’, Meta Organizations: Facebook, Wall Street, Meta, Associated Press, Connecticut Democrat, AP, “ Locations: Connecticut, Missouri

☆ Former Meta employee tells Senate company failed to protect teens' safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. The employee, Arturo Bejar, worked on well-being for Instagram from 2019 to 2021 and earlier was a director of engineering for Facebook's Protect and Care team from 2009 to 2015, he said. "Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online," the Meta statement said. In his testimony, Bejar recounted that in one meeting Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox was able to cite precise statistics on teen harms off the top of his head. "I found it heartbreaking because it meant that they knew and that they were not acting on it," said Bejar.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Chris Cox, Katie Paul, Kenneth Li, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Meta, REUTERS, Facebook, Facebook's, Care, Privacy, Technology, Wall Street, Thomson

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prosecutor overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation is expected to testify on Tuesday, marking the first time a special counsel will appear before Congress in the middle of a probe. The rare move by the Justice Department to allow a special counsel or any federal prosecutor to face questioning before the conclusion of an investigation indicates just how seriously the department is taking accusations of interference. Weiss' appearance comes after months of back-and-forth negotiations between Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Department as lawmakers subpoenaed several investigators and attorneys involved in the Hunter Biden case. But the IRS whistleblower, who testified publicly over the summer, insists his testimony reflects a pattern of interference and preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case and not just disagreement with their superiors about what investigative steps to take. In the Hunter Biden case, defense attorneys have already indicated they plan to challenge the gun charges he is currently facing on several other legal fronts and suggested that prosecutors bowed to political pressure in filing those charges.

Persons: Hunter Biden, David Weiss, “ Mr, Weiss, ” Wyn Hornbuckle, “, Hunter, That’s, Jim Jordan Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republicans, Committee, Justice Department, Democratic, Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Attorneys, GOP Locations: Washington and California

☆ Meta failed to act to protect teens, second whistleblower testifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A second Meta whistleblower testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, this time describing his fruitless efforts to flag the extent of harmful effects its platforms could have on teens to top leadership at the company. Meta leadership was aware of prevalent harms to its youngest users but declined to take adequate action to address it, Bejar told lawmakers on Tuesday. "When I returned in 2019, I thought they didn't know," Bejar testified. Part of the issue, according to Bejar, is that Meta directs resources toward tackling a "very narrow definition of harm." If one user restricts a second user, only the second user will be able to see their own comments on user one's posts.

Persons: Arturo Bejar, Instagram, Bejar, Frances Haugen, Blumenthal, Chris Cox, Cox, Haugen, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Mosseri, Zuckerberg, he'd, Sandberg, Mosseri, Andy Stone, Stone Organizations: Facebook, Privacy, Technology, Capitol, Lawmakers, Law, Meta, Senate Locations: Washington

[1/2] The Bank of Israel building is seen in Jerusalem June 16, 2020. Israel's central bank has played its part too with a flurry of support measures, and has stayed away from rate cuts. At the outset of the war, markets were stunned. "The Bank of Israel took very aggressive action," said Gil Moshe, the head of markets at the Israel unit of U.S. bank Citi. Looking to next year, Shmuel Katzavian, a strategist at Israel's Discount Bank, expects the shekel to continue to strengthen.

Persons: Ronen, Israel's, Yaniv Pagot, Amir Yaron, Geoff Yu, Gil Moshe, Pagot, Shmuel Katzavian, Steven Scheer, Marc Jones, Jan Harvey Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Rights, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Reuters, U.S . Federal Reserve, BNY Mellon, Reuters Graphics, Israel, Citi, Israel's Discount Bank, Thomson Locations: Bank of Israel, Jerusalem, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Israel's, Israel, U.S, London

☆ Hunter Biden prosecutor tells House panel he is 'the decision-maker on this case'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Attorney David Weiss speaks during a press conference on May 3, 2018, at his district office in Wilmington, Del. The federal prosecutor in the cases against Hunter Biden told the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that "political considerations played no part" in his decision to charge the son of President Joe Biden with several crimes. "I am, and have been, the decision-maker on this case," Department of Justice special counsel David Weiss said in an opening statement for his closed-door testimony, according to a copy provided by the DOJ. The special counsel, who also is the U.S. attorney for Delaware, earlier this year charged Hunter Biden with criminal charges related to possessing a handgun while being a drug user, and with failure to pay federal income taxes. Hunter Biden, 53, has pleaded not guilty in the cases.

Persons: David Weiss, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Weiss Organizations: Republican, Department of Justice, DOJ, United, United States Attorneys Locations: Wilmington, Del, United States, U.S, Delaware

☆ Meta ignored warnings on Instagram’s harm to teens, whistleblower says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Meta’s top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harms to teens on its platforms such as Instagram, a company whistleblower told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. Meanwhile, both parties have united behind blaming Meta for contributing to a nationwide mental health crisis. Bejar’s research “is basically a smoking gun,” Haugen told CNN in an interview Tuesday. “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online,” said Meta spokesman Andy Stone in a statement. He said everyday Americans understand “the harm being done” and compared it to harms from smoking.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Zuckerberg, Bejar’s, ” Bejar, Frances Haugen, Instagram, ” Haugen, “, Sheryl Sandberg, ”, Andy Stone, Stone, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal ., Josh Hawley, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Adam Mosseri, Sandberg, Chris Cox, Mosseri, ” Blackburn, Louisiana Republican Sen, John Kennedy, we’re, ” Meta, Blumenthal, Cox, Haugen, Hawley, ” Blumenthal, ” CNN’s Samantha Kelly Organizations: Washington CNN, Washington CNN — Meta’s, Facebook, Wall, Meta, CNN, Connecticut Democratic, Big Tech, Tennessee Republican, Louisiana Republican, Wall Street, “ Big Tech, Tobacco Locations: Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal . Missouri, Instagram

[1/2] Airplane model is placed on displayed Spirit Airlines and jetBlue Airways logos in this illustration taken, June 21, 2022. JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes defended the deal being challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court in Boston, saying a merger was the only way to grow JetBlue into a long-term national challenger to the dominant airlines. "You'd never ever get to the size they are based on organic growth," he testified under questioning by JetBlue lawyer Ryan Shores. The Justice Department counters that passengers would suffer roughly $1 billion in net harm annually if JetBlue absorbs Spirit, causing fares to rise. The trial is a rarity for the Justice Department, which historically has approved airline mergers without trials conditioned on asset divestitures.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Robin Hayes, Hayes, You'd, Ryan Shores, Edward Duffy, JetBlue, District William Young, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Airlines, jetBlue Airways, REUTERS, Rights BOSTON, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, U.S, JetBlue, U.S . Department of Justice, The Justice Department, Democratic, District of Columbia, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Department, District, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Boston, New York City, Newark , New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale . U.S

That prompted an outcry, leading the Israeli military to overhaul the system. But elite reservists are deployed in Gaza, some in units that include professional soldiers. On Monday, Israeli news media reported that an air force reservist was fired for criticizing Mr. Netanyahu in a private WhatsApp group. “Political comments while serving in uniform is against the rules,” an Israeli military spokesman said. Gen. Ari Singer, a former chief reserves officer of the Israeli military.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ‘, don’t, ’, Erez, “, Mr, Netanyahu, ”, Yagil Levy, ” Sergeant Schnider, Ari Singer, Manuel Trajtenberg Organizations: West Bank, Mr, Military, Open University of Israel, Tel, Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies Locations: Lebanon, Lebanese, Gaza, Brig, Tel Aviv

☆ Biden impeachment inquiry end game comes into focus, but moderate Republicans still not sold
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Annie Grayer | Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In recent days, Comer has said in media appearances that subpoenas for Biden family members are “imminent.”The end of the inquiry is still likely months away. They did, however, secure an interview with the special counsel overseeing the Hunter Biden criminal probe, David Weiss, for Tuesday, which is unprecedented given that the case is ongoing. At every turn, House Democrats and the White House have dismissed the allegations against the president and poked holes in the Republican-led investigation. “The subpoenas to Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family should have already happened,” Gaetz told CNN. “We’ll see what comes out.”Even members involved in the inquiry know that the evidence doesn’t clear the key hurdles needed to move forward.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, –, “, Jim Jordan, Jordan, James Comer, James, Hunter, Comer, David Weiss, Jamie Raskin, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Matt Gaetz, ” Johnson, ” What’s, they’ve, ’ ” Comer, I’ve, we’ve, ”, James Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Hunter Biden, ” Gaetz, Comer doesn’t, hadn’t, it’s, ” Comer, Jack Morgan, Mark Daly, Lesley Wolf, Morgan, Daly, “ There’s, ” Jordan, Don Bacon, Mike Lawler, we’ll, ” Lawler, , Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom McClintock, Doug LaMalfa, “ I’ve, Steve Womack, Mike Rogers of Organizations: Republicans, GOP, Ohio Republican, CNN, Hunter Biden, House Democrats, Republican, Maryland, Capitol, Judiciary, of Justice, DOJ, The Justice, Nebraska Republican, Committee, ”, California Republican, Arkansas Republican Locations: Ohio, Florida, Ukrainian, Nebraska, New York, California, Arkansas, Mike Rogers of Alabama

☆ Nigeria Opposition's Obi Slams Court Ruling Confirming Tinubu Election Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court judgment followed a pattern seen in previous presidential elections that have been challenged in court. Speaking for the first time since the ruling, Obi, a former two-term governor who campaigned as an outsider, told reporters the judgment was a disappointment and contradicted overwhelming evidence of election rigging, false claims of technical glitches, and other irregularities. Obi's supporters, known as the "Obidients", have been vocal in their criticism of the Supreme Court ruling. They have accused the court of being biased and of protecting the interests of the ruling party. Obi's rejection of the Supreme Court ruling is likely to resonate with his supporters, mostly young Nigerians who were attracted by his message of hope and change and see him as a break from the old guard.

Persons: Camillus, Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu's, Atiku Abubakar, Obi, Tinubu, Obi's, Camillus Eboh, Elisha Bala, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Reuters, Labour Party Locations: Camillus Eboh ABUJA, Nigeria

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has not said whether he supports the proposal released Monday by Republican Sens. But he told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that he has been discussing the entire package of aid with the White House, including border policies. McConnell, who has strongly pushed for the Ukraine aid, said he thinks “every single Republican in the Senate and the House” believes that the influx of migrants is a major problem. But finding agreement on the border will be difficult, and could easily hold up further Ukraine aid, as immigration has been one of the most intractable issues in Congress for decades. It would detain families at the border and require migrants to make the asylum claim at an official port of entry.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Republican Sens, Lindsey Graham of, Jim Lankford, ” McConnell, McConnell, ”, “, Israel, Mike Johnson, Biden, Dick Durbin, Kerri Talbot, Donald Trump, Colleen Long Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republicans, Republican, Associated Press, White, Democratic, House, Israel, Illinois Democrat, GOP, Immigration, Biden Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Mexico, United States, Israel, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Oklahoma, U.S ., Russia, Illinois, Afghanistan

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission," on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2023. Surrounded by tech workers and VC investors in San Francisco, Khan reiterated her focus on artificial intelligence, an area her agency has been tasked with looking into by President Joe Biden's executive order this week. "We’re very much focused on using our laws to protect everybody: Consumers, but also workers," she said in a standing-room-only nightcap appearance in San Francisco on Thursday. Big Tech companies, particularly Amazon (AMZN.O) and Meta, view Khan, who rose to prominence after publishing a 2017 academic article pointing to Amazon’s practices as anticompetitive, as an impediment. Reporting by Krystal Hu and Greg Bensinger in San Francisco; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lina Khan, Kevin Wurm, Khan, Kahn, Joe Biden's, he'd, “, Krystal Hu, Greg Bensinger, Jamie Freed Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Federal Trade, Big Tech, D.C, Mission, Stanford University, Meta, Republican, Activision, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Silicon, New York, San Francisco

☆ Protesters mass outside Netanyahu's house as anger grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Police held back protesters outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month's deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip. ", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem. [1/3]Protestors gather against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near his residence, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Jerusalem, November 4, 2023. "We don't know where they are, we don't know what condition they are kept in. I don't know if Kfir is getting food, I don't know if Ariel is getting enough food.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ammar Awad, Levy, Ariel, Kfir, Emily Rose, Ros Russell, Emelia Organizations: Police, Israeli, Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Israel's Channel, Television, Defense, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv, Palestinian

☆ Protesters Outside Israeli PM Netanyahu's House as Anger Grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Police held back protesters demonstrating outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month's deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip. Waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting "Jail now! ", a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem. The protest, which coincided with a poll showing more than three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign, underlined the growing public fury at their political and security leaders. When asked who is most at fault for the attack, 44% of Israeli blamed Netanyahu, while 33% blamed the military chief of staff and senior IDF officials and 5% blamed the Defense Minister, according to the poll.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Emily Rose, Ros Russell Organizations: Police, Israel's Channel, Television, Defense Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ Even in a City Used to Voting Scandals, This One Is a Doozy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Amelia Nierenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A judge this week tossed out the results of the Democratic mayoral primary, citing surveillance video that appears to show significant voting irregularities. He ordered election officials to hold a new primary but had no authority to postpone the general election in the meantime. And so, on Tuesday, the general election will go on as planned. The city finds itself in this mess after videos surfaced that showed suspicious activity at absentee ballot drop boxes. In clip after clip, two women are seen stuffing wads of paper into the boxes.

Persons: ”, Steven Stafstrom Organizations: Democratic Locations: Bridgeport, Conn

When the Colorado Republican announced this past week that he would not seek reelection, he began with the type of criticism of Democratic policies that is standard fare for a hard-line conservative. Yet under political pressure in Colorado, Buck decided there was no way forward for him in Congress. Alone among Republicans, Buck said he was opposing Jordan because he had not clearly stated that Biden won the 2020 election. This past week, Trump called Buck a “weak and ineffective Super RINO,” or Republicans In Name Only. The next day, Buck testified about a legal effort in Colorado to ban Trump from the ballot under the Constitution’s “insurrection clause."

Persons: Ken Buck, Buck, “, Donald Trump’s, Democrat Joe Biden, Biden, ” Buck, MAGA, ”, “ MAGA ”, Trump, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger of, Kevin McCarthy, Ken, Chip Roy, I’ll, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, CrossFit, ” Greene, Dick Cheney, Reagan, Cheney, Liz Cheney's, Ronald Reagan, Democratic Sen, Michael Bennet, “ I’ve, Joe Neguse, David Cicilline, Cicilline, Jim Jordan, McCarthy, Jordan, it’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Colorado Republican, Republican, Democrat, Trump, GOP, CNN, Capitol, Republicans, Caucus, Associated Press, Texas, University of Denver, Princeton University, University of Wyoming, Wyoming Rep, Democratic, Democrats, Colorado Democrat, Rhode Island, Apple, Meta, Google, Ohio, Committee's Locations: Colorado, Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Washington, Denver, Georgia, Iran, Buck's

☆ Opinion | Biden Can’t Stop Immigration. Time to Embrace It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( David J. Bier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Joe Biden became president, he assumed a near impossible task: stopping migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border amid a global displacement crisis. Despite his efforts, under his watch the number of people who crossed the border has risen sharply. The Republican-controlled committee’s report does not compare these results to what had occurred under President Donald Trump’s last two years in office. In the two years before President Biden took office, the Trump administration released nearly 713,000 immigrants, or a little over 52 percent of the 1.4 million crossers. In other words, Mr. Trump’s policies resulted in far fewer removals in absolute terms and a slightly higher percentage of released border crossers than President Biden’s.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden’s, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Trump Organizations: Republican, of Homeland Security, Cato Institute Locations: Mexico, ”

☆ Will Trump’s Barbs Land Him Behind Bars?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

It was a historic and jarring event when FBI agents searched former President Donald Trump's home last year to look for classified documents he was accused of hoarding. "Courts and prosecutors have to become normalized to the idea of detaining Trump – if he continues to violate gag orders and/or if he is convicted at trial," Signorelli says. Less-powerful defendants have been punished with time behind bars for being in contempt of court (including violating gag orders) or threatening authorities. Sam Bankman-Fried, the former billionaire crypto trader, was put behind bars in August weeks before his fraud trial after giving a media outlet private writings by a witness. While courts are sensitive to First Amendment protections – especially for someone running for president – Trump is pushing the legal envelope, Eisen says.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, –, Richard Signorelli, Signorelli, Tanya Chutkan, Alvin Bragg, Neama Rahmani, Vitali GossJankowski, Sam Bankman, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Jack Smith, Smith, Chutkan, Bill Barr, Norm Eisen, Trump's, – Trump, Eisen, Arthur F, Engoron, Fani Willis, Bernarda Villalona, William, Widge, Devaney, Baker McKenzie, it's, they're, Rahmani, You've Organizations: FBI, Trump, Capitol, New York, ABC, United Democracy Center, Philadelphia Locations: New York City, California, Georgia, New York, An Alabama, Fulton County, Trump, A Texas, Houston, Kings County, Brooklyn, New Jersey

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran is carrying out executions “at an alarming rate,” putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year, the United Nations chief said in a new report. That's a 30% increase from the same period in 2022. In all seven cases, information received by the U.N. human rights office “consistently indicated that the judicial proceedings did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law,” Guterres said. The government said “a minimum of” 22,000 people arrested during the protests were pardoned, but the secretary-general said it was difficult to verify the arrest and release numbers. Guterres expressed concern that a number of individuals who were pardoned then received summonses on new charges or were rearrested, including women activists, journalists and members of minority groups.

Persons: That's, Antonio Guterres, Amini, “, ” Guterres, ”, Guterres, Afsaneh Bayegan, Leila Bolukat —, Nahid Taghavi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, General Assembly, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Human Rights Locations: Iran

☆ Israel's defence and finance ministers clash over Palestinian tax payout
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Israel's defence and finance ministers clashed on Wednesday over whether some West Bank tax revenues should be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, underlining the tensions straining the government as Israeli forces push on with the war in Gaza. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called for tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinians in parts of the West Bank under direct Israeli control, to be disbursed without delay. "I think it is only appropriate to uphold the decision of the cabinet as decided several days ago," he said. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose hardline religious nationalist party has strong support among Jewish settlers in the West Bank responded that Gallant was making a "serious mistake" in demanding the release of the funds. "I do not intend to let the State of Israel finance our enemies in Judea and Samaria who support the terrorism of Hamas and finance the 7/10 terrorists who murdered and massacred us," he said in a statement.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, James Mackenzie, Steve Scheer, Sandra Maler Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian, Gaza ., Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Judea, Samaria

BOSTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The CEO of Spirit Airlines on Wednesday defended in court the planned $3.8 billion acquisition of his company by JetBlue Airways as a means to create a viable competitor to the four larger airlines that dominate the U.S. skies. Ted Christie, Spirit's chief executive officer, during the second day of trial in the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit challenging the merger testified that his ultra-low-cost airline remained "relatively insignificant" despite years of growth. He said Spirit, which has not turned a profit in three years, had just around 3% of the market and was facing "more effective" competition from those larger airlines - United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines - in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Christie testified that throughout the negotiations for the deal in 2022, Spirit had been concerned how regulators would view a merger with JetBlue, as the Justice Department had already sued JetBlue to challenge a planned Northeast partnership with American Airlines. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ted Christie, Christie, Spirit, Jay Cohen, William Young, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Nick Zieminski Organizations: BOSTON, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, U.S . Department of, Spirit, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Frontier Group Holdings, U.S, Justice Department, Democratic, District of Columbia, Thomson Locations: U.S, Boston, New York City, Newark, Fort Lauderdale

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