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Hunter Biden, appearing in court wearing a dark suit and sporting slicked back hair, appeared agitated and worried as the plea deal began to unravel. She said she has “concerns about the constitutionality” of the gun deal because it might violate separation of powers principles. Noreika also has the ultimate decision on what sentence Hunter Biden will receive if a plea deal is accepted or he is tried and convicted. “At least there is some scrutiny going on,” Texas Rep. Chip Roy told CNN in reaction to the Hunter Biden plea deal being refined. GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio credited IRS whistleblowers critical of the investigation for the collapse of a plea deal, although the issue did not come up during a hearing.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hunter, Maryellen Noreika –, Donald Trump, Senate Democrats –, Noreika, Hunter Biden’s, Chris Clark, FARA, ” Noreika, isn’t, –, plop, couldn’t, Judge Maryellen Noreika, Bill Hennessy, Will DOJ’s, Justice Department’s, “, Chip Roy, Delaware’s Trump, David Weiss, Jim Jordan, Weiss, Jordan Organizations: CNN, US, Senate Democrats, Justice Department, Justice, ” Texas, GOP, Committee Locations: FARA, Wilmington , Delaware, Ohio

☆ Texas governor to defy DOJ request to remove floating barriers in Rio Grande: ‘Texas will see you in court, Mr. President’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Chris Boyette Priscilla Alvarez | Chris Boyette | Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Abbott will not be ordering floating barriers to be removed from the Rio Grande, in defiance of the US Department of Justice. The Justice Department gave Texas a deadline of Monday at 2 p.m. ET to commit to the removal of the floating border barriers or face legal action, according to the letter sent to Abbott. The governor’s actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said. Among the complaints are reports that Texas troopers were told to push back migrants into the Rio Grande and ordered not to give them water.

Persons: Greg Abbott, “, ” Abbott, Joe Biden, ”, Abbott, Abbott’s, Abdullah Hasan, Ted Cruz, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Texas Gov, US Department of Justice, DOJ, Justice Department, Texas, The, Department gave Texas, Republican, Texas Constitution, Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, DPS Locations: Rio Grande, “ Texas, Texas, Mexico, United States, Rio

☆ Booz Allen Pays $377.5 Million to Settle Government Billing Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has agreed to pay $377.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit that accused it of falsely billing the U.S. government, the Justice Department said on Friday. The settlement resolves allegations that between 2011 and 2021, Booz Allen improperly charged the government for indirect costs that it should have billed under its commercial and international contracts, the Justice Department said in a news release. The government had alleged that the firm “obtained reimbursement from the government for the costs of commercial activities that provided no benefit to the United States.”A consulting firm’s indirect costs can include expenses like equipment, marketing and office space. Booz Allen, which is based in McLean, Va., has lucrative defense and intelligence contracts with the federal government. Investigators began reviewing the firm’s billing practices in 2016.

Persons: Booz Allen Hamilton, Booz Allen, “, Brian M, Boynton Organizations: Booz, ., Justice, Justice Department, “ Locations: United States, McLean , Va

CNN —Donald Trump’s legal troubles deepened earlier this week when he was informed by special counsel Jack Smith that he’s the target of the criminal investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election – the clearest sign yet that the former president could soon face more criminal charges. But without more detail, it’s hard to know exactly what shape the charges will take or what Trump 2020 election-related conduct they are aimed at. Among the potential charges Trump has been warned about is one pertaining to witness tampering, according to the Wall Street Journal and other outlets. Trump’s alleged involvement in a criminal conspiracy has been invoked in the litigation around the House select committee that investigated January 6’s pursuit of Trump lawyer John Eastman’s emails. That ruling pointed both to the obstruction of an official proceeding statute and the general conspiracy statute.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith, Smith, Trump, Todd Blanche, ”, Norm Eisen, “ Trump, Shan Wu, CNN’s Manu Raju, Mike, Joe Biden, ” Eisen, “, Justin Levitt, Levitt, Douglass Mackey, ” Mackey, Joe Biden’s, Enrique Tarrio, Trump’s, John Eastman’s, David O, Carter, Eastman, Elie Honig, ” Honig Organizations: CNN, Sunday, White, Trump, ABC, The New York Times, Loyola Law School, Obama Justice Department, Biden White House, Klux Klan, Wall Street, Justice Department, Boys, Eastman, Capitol Locations: United States, New York, Georgia, Arizona

☆ Obstruction Law Cited by Prosecutors in Trump Case Has Drawn Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Alan Feuer | More About Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This challenge is at the center of the second appeals court case in Washington and could be decided any day now. The president and lawyers close to him like John Eastman sought to strong-arm Mr. Pence into using his role in overseeing the election certification on Jan. 6 to unilaterally toss the race to Mr. Trump. Last year, the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 urged that Mr. Trump be charged with obstruction of an official proceeding among other counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and incitement to insurrection. But long before those recommendations were made, judges and lawyers involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases were exploring whether Mr. Trump’s behavior — specifically his attempts to pressure Mr. Pence — violated the obstruction count. While Mr. Pearce never mentioned Mr. Trump by name, it was clear he was discussing the former president’s attempts to get Mr. Pence to do his bidding that day.

Persons: Trump, Smith, Mike Pence, John Eastman, Pence, Jan, —, Pence —, James Pearce, Department’s, Pearce Locations: Washington, United States

Data from Mr. Clark’s firm shows that Republicans view an attack on Mr. Trump “as an attack on them,” he said. “Almost always means arrest and indictment,” Mr. Trump wrote of the target letter on Truth Social. Mr. Smith’s office already indicted Mr. Trump in federal court in June, saying he had possessed reams of national defense material and obstructed the investigation. In the coming weeks, he faces possible indictment in Georgia related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in that state. opponents, who are polling double digits behind him, still will not seize this opportunity to denounce his unfit actions.”

Persons: Justin Clark, Trump’s, Trump, ”, “, Mr, Jack Smith, ” Mr, Alyssa Farah Griffin, G.O.P Organizations: National Public Affairs Locations: Georgia

Regulators under administrations dating to President Lyndon Johnson have set out new guidelines, which serve largely as a matter of policy intent because they are not enforced by law. But the sweeping proposals introduced by Lina Khan, the F.T.C. The guidelines broaden the scope for evaluating deals. The regulators say that current laws are not fit for the contemporary age. (Critics of this approach argue that it is nearly impossible to know what threat young technologies may pose in the future.)

Persons: Lyndon Johnson, Lina Khan, Jonathan Kanter, Ms, Khan Organizations: Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission

☆ DOJ says it’s assessing the situation along the Texas-Mexico border amid ‘troubling reports’ over migrant treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The department is aware of the troubling reports, and we are working with DHS and other relevant agencies to assess the situation,” DOJ spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa told CNN. CNN previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department were in ongoing discussions about what actions could be taken against the state. That suit lists the state of Texas and Abbott, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard. But it wouldn’t mark the first time the Justice Department has sued on border-related matters. Last year, the Justice Department sued Arizona for placing shipping containers along the US southern border – a move taken by then-Republican Gov.

Persons: Xochitl Hinojosa, Steve McCraw, Greg Abbott’s, ”, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, –, Abbott, Doug Ducey Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Texas, DHS, of Public Safety, Operation Lone Star, Democratic, Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, Gov, –, Department of Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Public, Arizona, Republican Locations: Texas, Mexico, Rio, White, Arizona

☆ Hearing on handling classified materials in Jack Smith’s Trump case could set up clash over delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Trump himself is not expected to attend to the hearing, but Nauta – who is a bodyman to the former president – may attend, sources told CNN. In addition to the trial date, Trump and Nauta’s defense attorneys have already clashed with the Justice Department on timing of even initial procedural steps in the case. Tuesday’s hearing is aimed at discussing the schedule for those issues to be briefed and are usually “uneventful” affairs, Gonzalez said. “In sum, neither the amount of classified discovery in this case nor the timetable for its production is a reason for an indefinite continuance of the trial date,” the prosecutors said. In the case, Trump is facing several counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Persons: Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump, Smith, Aileen Cannon, Trump, CIPA, Walt Nauta, Nauta, –, Cannon, “, haven’t, ”, Brandon Van Grack, Robert Mueller’s, Van Grack, Brian Greer, Gregory Gonzalez, Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez, that’s, ” Greer Organizations: CNN, Trump, Justice Department, CIA, Congress, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Prosecutors, DOJ, Government Locations: Russian, Florida

Weeks later, Mr. Trump is the former President Trump. Instead, in a brief televised address shortly before 2:30 a.m., Mr. Trump furiously laid down his postelection lie. For weeks, Mr. Trump had been peppering him with tips of fraud that, upon investigation by federal authorities, proved baseless. The cavalry “is coming, Mr. President,” Kylie Kremer tweeted to Mr. Trump on Dec. 19. On Jan. 15, Mr. Trump acquiesced to an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Lindell, who arrived with two sets of documents.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Justin Clark, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Clark, Weeks, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Jared Kushner, McConnell’s, Biden’s, William P, Barr, Mr, Trump’s, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, sleuths, MyPillow, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Stephen K, Bannon, Michael T, Flynn, platformed, Jared Taylor, Enrique Tarrio, Doug Mills, Eric, “ We’re, ”, Fox, Eric Trump, Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Laura Ingraham, Obama, Dennis Montgomery, Thomas McInerney, McInerney, John McCain, Bannon’s, “ it’s, Paul Gosar, Doug Ducey, Roy Blunt of, Roy Blunt, Anna Moneymaker, —, “, ” Mr, Mark Meadows, Josh Holmes, Kushner, — Mr, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham of, Sean Hannity’s, — I’ve, Let’s, Graham, Pat A, Axios, Brendan Smialowski, “ Hannity, Thomas, Jenna Ellis, Matt Morgan, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Brooks, Stefan Passantino, Powell, Lynsey Weatherspoon, Gore, William H, Rehnquist, Giuliani —, Kris Kobach, Mark Martin, Lawrence Joseph, Kobach, Uncle Sam, Mr . Biden, Ken Paxton, Jeffrey M, Landry, Paxton, Kyle D, Hawkins, Jacquelyn Martin, Joseph, Richard L, Chris Carr, Carr, Mike Johnson of, Mike Johnson, McCarthy, Privately, Ted Cruz of, John Sauer, ’, ” James E, Nicolai, North, Wayne Stenehjem, Stenehjem, Wayne, Tasos Katopodis, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marsha Blackburn of, Ms, Blackburn, Amy Kremer, Ann Stone, Roger Stone, Amy Coney Barrett, Kremer’s, Kylie Jane Kremer, Jennifer Lawrence, Dustin Stockton, Lawrence, Stockton, I’ve, Lindell, they’d, Taylor, Greg Locke, Covid, Michael McKinney, Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, “ Donald Trump, ” Ms, Meadows, Georgia runoffs, Byrne, Cipollone, he’d, Martin, Mike Pence, reconvene, ” Kylie Kremer, James Yeager, Kylie Kremer, Yeager’s, Lawrence whooped, John Kennedy, James Lyle, Josh Hawley, “ You’ve, Lyle, Couy Griffin, Kennedy, Pete Marovich, Kremer, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Alex Jones, Caroline Wren, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Katrina Pierson, Brad Raffensperger, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Department’s, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Perry, Hawley, Cruz, Year’s, Tom Cotton of, Cotton, Cindy Chafian, Chafian, Jones, Stone, Locke, Jan, “ You’ll, Gosar, Griffin, Robert O’Brien, I’m, ’ ”, Kenny Holston, Donald Trump, ” Mark Walker, Ben Margot, Stefani Reynolds, Samuel Corum, Erin Schaff, David J, Ted Cruz, John Bazemore Organizations: Twitter, Dominion Systems, Trump, Biden, Dominion, New, New York City, The New York Times, Senate, New York, Republican Party, Capitol, White, Times, The Times, America News Network, Fox, America, Boys, New York Times, American, Air Force, Electoral College, Republicans, Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, Republican, Facebook, Democrats, Associated Press, “ Fox & Friends, White House, West Wing, “, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Veritas, Justice Department, Postal Service, York Daily, Agence France, Zignal Labs, Amistad, Thomas More Society, Mr, Electoral, Supreme, Lawyers, General Association, Associated, State, University of California, Republican House, Women, Tea Party, Trump -, Breitbart, of, Credit, SPAN, Tea Party Express, Republican National Committee, Internet, Army, Des Moines Register, Marine, General Services Administration, Swedish, Cowboys, Capitol ., Street Journal, Save, General Association ., Law Defense Fund, Freedom, Coalition, Proud Boys, Willard, Homeland Security, Party, Getty, Georgia Electoral College Locations: Detroit, Arizona, Georgia, New York, America, China, Trump, Grand Rapids, Mich, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz ,, Arizona —, Russia, North Vietnam, United States, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Kentucky, Utah, Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Erie, Pa, Pennsylvania, Long, Bush, Florida, tightest, Kansas, North Carolina, Ken Paxton of Texas, Texas, State of Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Irvine, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Missouri, Washington, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Trump’s, Hudson, Stockton, Tennessee, Des Moines, Meadows, White, fistfights, Nashville, West Monroe, La, Louisiana, drumbeating, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Delaware

Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. Mr. Wray, who is appearing for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee since Republicans won the House, is likely girding for the worst. The committee, led by Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, says it “will examine the politicization” of the F.B.I. under Mr. Wray and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. That criticism was once trained on the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia during the 2016 election.

Persons: Christopher A, Wray, Donald J, Trump, Jim Jordan, General Merrick B, Garland, Stoked, Department’s, Hunter Biden Organizations: Republicans, Committee, Republican, Trump Locations: Ohio, Russia, Lago

He can be seen moving past a line of Capitol Police at the barricades, but never actually goes inside the Capitol. Federal prosecutors have not charged Mr. Epps with a crime, focusing instead on the more than 1,000 other demonstrators who acted violently or were trespassing in the Capitol. The Justice Department’s sprawling investigation into the attack remains open, however, and Mr. Epps could still be indicted. Yet for more than 18 months, Mr. Carlson insisted that the lack of charges against Mr. Epps could mean only one thing: that he was being protected because he was a secret government agent. There was “no rational explanation,” Mr. Carlson told his audience, why this “mysterious figure” who “helped stage-manage the insurrection” had not been charged.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Donald J, Trump, Ray Epps —, Epps, Carlson, Mr, “, ” Organizations: Fox News, Capitol, Trump, Capitol Police, Federal Locations: Arizona, Washington

Threads is integrated into Instagram, giving it potential access to roughly two billion monthly active users. Threads isn’t available in the European Union, where privacy watchdogs have long been concerned with how Meta handles users’ information. Being big doesn’t run afoul of antitrust law. Leveraging them to enhance the quality of Threads would not in and of itself violate antitrust laws, Mr. Melamed said. “The Threads example shows that big tech companies can also be valuable entrants, bringing new competitive pressure,” Mr. Francis said.

Persons: Nancy Rose, DealBook, ” Ms, Rose, ”, Doug Melamed, Melamed, “, Daniel Francis, Mr, Francis, — Ephrat Livni Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, European Union, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Twitter, Stanford Law School, Justice Department, New York University, Competition Locations: ’

The push to assemble slates of pro-Trump electors from swing states won by Mr. Biden is one of a number of components of Mr. Smith’s investigation. It remains unclear whether Mr. Giuliani will face charges in the special counsel’s investigation. His name has appeared on several subpoenas sent to former aides to Mr. Trump and to a host of Republican state officials involved in the plan to create fake slates of electors. Last year, shortly before Mr. Smith was appointed to his job as special counsel, the Justice Department issued a subpoena to Mr. Giuliani for records related to his representation of Mr. Trump, including those that detailed any payments he had received. A group of federal prosecutors including Thomas Windom had been pursuing various strands of the inquiry into Mr. Trump’s efforts to remain in power before Mr. Smith’s appointment and they continue to play key roles in the investigation.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Giuliani, Mr, Roman’s, Gary Michael Brown, Brad Raffensperger, Smith, Thomas Windom, Smith’s Organizations: Trump, Mr, Prosecutors, Justice Department, Capitol, Court, York City’s Locations: Fulton County ,, Washington, Georgia, York

☆ DOJ issues scathing rebuke of Bureau of Prisons detailing multiple failures that led to Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The report indicated the Bureau of Prisons’ failings were troubling not only because they did not safeguard Epstein but also because they “led to numerous questions about the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death” and denied Epstein’s victims justice. Two guards on duty the night of Epstein’s death later admitted to falsifying records at the time. According to the initial indictment against the two guards, on the night of Epstein’s suicide, both individuals repeatedly failed to complete the required prisoners check during their watch. On the day before he was found dead in his prison cell, Epstein was also allowed by prison staff to make an unmonitored phone call, despite prison policy requiring all phone calls to be monitored. In August 2021, two years after Epstein’s death, the BOP announced it would close Metropolitan Correctional Center, citing the need to improve conditions in the facility.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, ”, Epstein, ” Epstein, OIG Organizations: CNN, Department’s Office, Prisons, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Justice Department, Southern, of, MCC, FBI, Force, BOP, Correctional Center, Office Locations: New York, of New York

☆ Opinion: Where Putin goes from here
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“It is a stab in the back of our country and our people,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told his nation Saturday as he faced an unprecedented challenge from his former ally, Yevgeny Prighozin, head of the Wagner mercenary group. “The Russians were not stabbed in the back during World War I, as Putin suggested during his remarks on Saturday,” wrote Peter Bergen. Sound familiar?”“A keen student of Russian history, Putin is aware of the stakes here. The Wagner force served the Russian president as a useful tool he could control for foreign adventures.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prighozin, Wagner, Tsar, Putin, Prighozin, “, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin’s, ”, Peter Bergen, Nicholas II, ” Prighozin, CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Hodge, ” Putin’s, Mark Galeotti, John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, “ what’s, Edmund, Burke, ’, Roe, Wade, Critics, ProPublica, Samuel Alito, Paul Singer, Alito, Singer, salmons, Singer’s, Clay Jones, you’re, Erwin Chemerinsky’s, Ann Telnaes “, Chemerinsky, Samuel Dickman, Allison Hope, Hunter Biden, Donald Trump Lisa Benson, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Julian Zelizer, Biden, Trump, Norman Eisen, ” Alberto Gonzales, George W, Bush, Department’s, ” “, …, Justin Gest, White, Joel Pett Organizations: CNN, Soviet, Kremlin, US, Quinnipiac University, Justice Department, GOP, Republicans, Trump, Agency Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, “, Europe, Alaska

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith has begun producing evidence in the Mar-a-Lago documents case to Donald Trump, according to a Wednesday court filing that hints that investigators collected for the case multiple recordings of the former president – not just audio of an interview Trump gave at Bedminster for a forthcoming Mark Meadows memoir. Prosecutors in the filing used the plural “interviews” to describe recordings of Trump – made with his consent – obtained by the special counsel that have now been turned over to his defense team. The prosecutors’ update to the court on Wednesday night marks another swift move toward trial, which the Justice Department has said should happen quickly, and captures at least some of the extent of the evidence investigators secured to build their historic case against Trump. The first batch of evidence, provided on Wednesday, “includes the grand jury testimony of witnesses who will testify for the government at the trial of this case,” the special counsel’s office wrote. “Defense counsel can contact the government to arrange for inspection of unclassified items seized at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022,” the filing said.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, –, Trump, Mark Meadows, ”, Trump –, Walt Nauta, Smith Organizations: CNN, Bedminster, Prosecutors, Justice Department, Trump, “ Locations: Bedminster, Washington ,, Florida, “, Mar, Lago

CNN —Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and struck a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a felony gun charge, the Justice Department said Tuesday in court filings. Trump criticized the Hunter Biden plea deal on Truth Social. Hunter Biden’s legal team sought a meeting with the Justice Department in April, which Weiss attended, and where Hunter Biden’s lawyers gave a presentation detailing why they believe Hunter Biden shouldn’t be charged. Part of their argument included that Hunter Biden paid back taxes owed, including penalties. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two tax charges and struck a deal to resolve the gun charge.

Persons: CNN — Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, David Weiss, Hunter, Christopher Clark, Department’s, “ Hunter, ” Clark, ” “, ”, Ian Sams, Hunter Biden’s, Weiss, Hunter Biden shouldn’t, Prosecutors, Clark, “, Garland, Justice Department wouldn’t, Christopher Wray, he’s, Beau . Hunter Biden, Melissa Cohen, Jake Tapper, –, He’s, ” Joe Biden, Department’s prosecutorial, “ I’m, I’m, Tapper, “ That’s, it’s, General Merrick Garland, Justice Department’s, CEFC, Obama Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Internal, Service, Trump, Government, House, Truth, Biden DOJ, Republican, Democratic, IRS, FBI, Department, people’s Justice Department, Hunter, Justice, CEFC China Energy, White, Yorker, State Department Locations: Delaware, Wilmington, China, Ukraine, United States

☆ ‘Systemic problems’ at Minneapolis Police Dept. led to George Floyd’s murder, Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Our investigation found that the systemic problems in MPD made what happened to George Floyd possible,” the report states. Racial discriminationThe investigation also found that MPD officers disproportionately stop and use force against Black and Native American people. “We estimate that MPD stops Black people at 6.5 times the rate at which it stops White people, given their shares of the population. How the fatal arrest of George Floyd unfolded 04:33 - Source: CNNGarland outlined several incidents where MPD officers were not held accountable for racist conduct until public outrage surfaced. “For example,” Garland said Friday, “after MPD officers stopped a car carrying four Somalian-American teens, one officer told the teens, ‘Do you remember what happened in Black Hawk Down.

Persons: George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, George Floyd’s, General Merrick Garland, “ George Floyd, ” Garland, Chauvin, Floyd, –, “, CNN Garland, ‘, ’, Department’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, The Minneapolis Police Department, MPD, ”, Minneapolis, DOJ Locations: Minneapolis, Hawk

☆ Read the Justice Department’s Report on the Minneapolis Police Department
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The woman asked to speak to a supervisor, but the officer refused to transfer her or take her contact information. The woman told us the officer "sure felt like he was above any repercussions," and he was. For example, in 2015, MPD officers stopped a car carrying four Somali-American teens. Later, when one of the teens told the officer, "[Y]ou're a racist, bro," the officer responded: "Yep, and I'm proud of it." It was not until weeks later, when cellphone footage went viral, that MPD opened an investigation, eventually firing the officer.

Persons: ”, “, I'm, bro Organizations: Blacks, MPD, City Locations: Hawk, Somali

The Justice Department accused the Minneapolis police on Friday of discriminating against Black and Native American people, using deadly force illegally and trampling the First Amendment rights of protesters and journalists — damning claims that grew out of a multiyear investigation and may lead to a court-enforced overhaul of the police force. The federal review was touched off by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a Minneapolis officer in 2020, a crime that led to protests and unrest across the country. But the Justice Department’s scathing 89-page report looked well beyond that killing, describing a police force impervious to accountability whose officers beat, shot and detained people without justification and patrolled without the trust of residents. But to many people in the city, where protesters had complained for years about police excesses, Mr. Floyd’s death, as horrifying as it was, was not entirely surprising. The Justice Department investigators described “numerous incidents in which officers responded to a person’s statement that they could not breathe with a version of, ‘You can breathe; you’re talking right now.’”

Persons: George Floyd, Department’s, General Merrick B, Garland, Floyd’s, Floyd, Derek Chauvin, ’ Organizations: Department, Minneapolis police, Minneapolis Police Department, Justice Department Locations: Minneapolis

☆ Judge Aileen Cannon jumpstarts oversight of Trump classified documents case with order on security clearances
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Cannon’s order reflects how the case concerns highly sensitive, classified materials – adding another layer of complexity to the high-stakes, first-of-its-kind federal prosecution of a former president. The new order also puts additional pressure on the Trump effort to expand the legal team representing him in the case. The local rules for the Florida court where the case was filed require that Trump have counsel barred in the state. Blanche previously had a clearance and a member of Kise’s legal firm who will be assisting him in the case has a security clearance now, the source told CNN. Trump is still looking to add another attorney to his team who will also need to obtain a clearance.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Cannon, – Todd Blanche, Chris Kise –, Trump, Blanche, Walt Nauta, Trump’s bodyman, Nauta Organizations: CNN, Justice, Justice Department, Trump Locations: Florida

The report is expected to be released at a news conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and city officials. The expected announcement was previously reported by Bloomberg Law and KSTP-TV in Minnesota. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has negotiated consent decrees in the past to enforce policing overhauls in Baltimore, Cleveland and Ferguson, Mo., among other cities, after similar investigations. The murder of Mr. Floyd, a Black man, by Officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020 touched off protests and civil unrest across the country and led to calls to fundamentally rethink or defund policing. Mr. Floyd’s death, video of which circulated widely online, brought condemnations from across the political spectrum and criminal convictions for the police officers who were involved, a relatively rare occurrence.

Persons: George Floyd, General Merrick Garland, Vanita Gupta, Ferguson, Floyd, Derek Chauvin, Floyd’s Organizations: Minneapolis Police Department, Bloomberg Law, Civil, Division Locations: Minnesota, Baltimore , Cleveland, Mo

☆ Senators press DOJ to investigate PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger for antitrust violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden are calling on the Justice Department’s antitrust division to inspect the controversial partnership between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. In a letter to senior DOJ officials on Tuesday, Warren and Wyden argued the deal will allow Saudi Arabia to “sportswash” its “egregious human rights record” and would violate multiple provisions of antitrust law. “Significantly, the deal appears to have a substantial adverse impact on competition, violating several provisions of U.S. antitrust law, regardless of whether the deal is structured as a merger or some sort of joint venture,” the senators added. The letter comes after Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has launched a probe into the deal.

Persons: Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Warren, Wyden, LIV, ” Warren, General Merrick Garland, Jonathan Kanter, LIV Golf, Sherman, Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal Organizations: New, New York CNN, Democratic, Justice, PGA Tour, Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Investigations Locations: New York, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Saudi

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents. During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. What Tuesday’s hearing is aboutAttorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Nauta, David Harbach, ” Goodman, “, Department’s, Jack Smith, Justice Department’s, Aileen Cannon –, Lago, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ” Habba, ”, Jay Bratt, Harbach, Julie Edelstein, David Aaron, Perkins, Cannon, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Kel McClanahan Organizations: Miami CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Justice, Doral, Mar, DOJ, “, West Palm Beach, DOJ National Security Division, University of Minnesota, Circuit, George Washington University Law School, CNN Locations: Miami, New York, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

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