October, 2022 | últimas notícias - Part 29

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin released from jail but still faces deportation – NBC News

9 views no comments

Herschel Walker Urged Woman to Have a 2nd Abortion, She Says – The New York Times

The two continued their relationship and, two years later, the woman became pregnant again. This time, she said, she told Mr. Walker she wanted to have the child. But Mr. Walker did not, and again made the case that the time was not right. The relationship ended on Sept. 16, 2011, according to her paternity suit. Her son was born the following May.

In an interview, a friend who lived in Atlanta at the time described consoling the woman through her morning sickness before her abortion and supporting her afterward. Years later, when the woman was pregnant again, she disclosed in phone and in-person conversations that Mr. Walker had asked her to end the pregnancy but she was adamant that she would not, according to the friend.

Mr. Walker also appears to have been involved with two other women around this time. In an interview in the December 2011 issue of Playboy magazine, he identified Julie Blanchard, who is now his wife, as his fiancée. And in January 2012, Myka Dean, then a shareholder along with her mother in Mr. Walker’s company Renaissance Man, according to financial records, filed a police report in Irving, Texas, in which she said that for 20 years she had been in an “on-off-on-off” relationship with Mr. Walker. (Ms. Dean, who died in 2019, told the police that Mr. Walker threatened her after she told him that she wanted to date other people. Mr. Walker denied the allegation through a spokeswoman in April.)

The woman interviewed by The Times said Mr. Walker never physically abused her.

In April 2013, the woman filed for child support in Manhattan when she was a graduate student at Columbia University and “struggling to make ends meet,” according to a statement from her lawyer at the time. Mr. Walker was initially ordered to make payments, first of $2,500 a month and later of $3,500 a month. The final order of child support was not issued until July 2014, according to court records. Mr. Walker has made his payments on time, the woman said.

Mr. Warnock has also been involved in a child custody dispute. His ex-wife sued in April to adjust the terms of their agreement and increase payments to account for the income he earns as a senator and as lead pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. A spokeswoman for the Warnock campaign declined to comment for this article.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/us/politics/herschel-walker-abortion.html

9 views no comments

Here’s who is not eligible for Biden’s marijuana pardon – CNN

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he’s pardoning individuals charged with simple marijuana possession on a federal level, but his decision does not affect broad groups of Americans and non-citizens charged with the crime.

There’s historical precedent for mass application of the presidential pardon power, but the sheer size of Biden’s pardon list stands out among most recent predecessors. The White House estimates “6,500 people with prior federal convictions” and “thousands of such convictions under (Washington, DC) law could benefit from this relief.”

While Biden is issuing pardons for federal charges of simple marijuana possession, his move on Thursday did not decriminalize the drug and it remains a federal crime to possess small amounts of marijuana on federal land. Biden did announce an expedited review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law – a move that could change how the drug is regulated in the United States and could help guide criminal laws.

In a video announcing his executive actions, Biden said that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.”

“It’s legal in many states, and criminal records for marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” he continued. “And that’s before you address the racial disparities around who suffers the consequences. While White and Black and Brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and Brown people are arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

But despite those words, there is still a broad set people who will not see immediate relief from Biden’s recent actions – some who he could have pardoned and some who he doesn’t have the power to pardon.

Individuals facing state marijuana charges

Among those who Biden does not have power to pardon are thousands of individuals who have faced state charges for simple marijuana possession.

While Americans’ attitudes about marijuana consumption are changing – smoking weed is becoming more popular than smoking tobacco, and 19 states, two US territories, and DC have legalized small amounts of marijuana – there are still laws in most states that criminalize possessing small amounts of marijuana.

The full scope of individuals who could be pardoned as a result of state clemency for simple marijuana possession is unclear, but available law enforcement data analyzed by the American Civil Liberties Union found that in 2018, for example, there were almost 700,000 marijuana arrests, which accounted for more than 43% of all reported drug arrests. Not all drug arrests, however, lead to charges nor are they all categorized as simple marijuana possession.

The President’s presidential pardon power is limited to federal criminal cases and does not extend to state criminal charges. As part of his moves Thursday, Biden called on governors to issue similar pardons to those with state marijuana offense convictions.

Unlawfully present non-citizens charged federally with simple possession of marijuana

Biden’s presidential proclamation states that his pardon “does not apply to individuals who were non-citizens not lawfully present in the United States at the time of their offense.”

This suggests that undocumented immigrants will not be pardoned for existing federal charges for simple marijuana possession.

But a senior administration official on Thursday noted that as a result of Biden’s proclamation, “anyone who has committed that offense could not be prosecuted federally, at this point, based on that conduct.”

The official did not make a distinction between citizens and non-citizens.

Data from the US Sentencing Commission indicates that during fiscal year 2021 some 72% of federal offenders in a case of marijuana possession were non-citizens. But it’s not clear how many non-citizens count as “lawfully” or “unlawfully” present in the country.

Matt Cameron, a Boston-based immigration attorney who also teaches immigration policy at Northeastern University, told CNN that the decision to not include non-citizens who were not lawfully present could have dire consequences for some people.

“If you’re in deportation proceedings or applying for a visa or applying green card, and you’re charged for possession, you will be denied. And you won’t be eligible for a waiver,” he said.

He added, “You could be denied a green card and you would be denied for life.”

Individuals charged in the future with federal simple marijuana possession offenses

The Department of Justice says that federal marijuana possession offenses that occur after October 6, 2022 – the date of the presidential proclamation – will not protect individuals from being charged down the road.

“The proclamation pardons only those offenses occurring on or before October 6, 2022. It does not have any effect on marijuana possession offenses occurring after October 6, 2022,” DOJ says.

However, the pardon does apply to pending federal simple marijuana possession charges, including those where conviction has not been obtained by October 6.

Individuals charged with other offenses

In a statement about his presidential proclamation, Biden emphasized that “even as federal and state regulation of marijuana changes, important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and under-age sales should stay in place.”

While Biden’s pardons will impact thousands who face simple possession charges, the act of clemency will not apply to all types of federal marijuana offenses.

“Conspiracy, distribution, possession with intent to distribute, and other charges involving marijuana are not pardoned by the proclamation,” the Justice Department says.

The DOJ also says the pardon does not apply to individuals who were convicted of possessing multiple different controlled substances in the same offense – including a charge related to possessing marijuana and another controlled substance in a single offense.

“For example, if you were convicted of possessing marijuana and cocaine in a single offense, you do not qualify for pardon under the terms of President Biden’s proclamation,” the Justice Department explained. “If you were convicted of one count of simple possession of marijuana and a second count of possession of cocaine, President Biden’s proclamation applies only to the simple possession of marijuana count, not the possession of cocaine count.”

The move also is not expected to remove any individuals from prison.

The administration official speaking to reporters on Thursday said that “there are no individuals currently in federal prison solely for simple possession of marijuana.”

Individuals seeking additional guidance regarding federal pardon eligibility and procedures should visit https://www.justice.gov/pardon for more information.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/08/politics/biden-marijuana-possession-pardons/index.html

13 views no comments

Crimea Bridge Destroyed in Explosion: Russia-Ukraine Live Updates – The New York Times

KRYVYI RIH, Ukraine — An explosion tore through the sole bridge linking the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia, collapsing a part of the span into the sea and imperiling a primary supply route for Russian troops fighting in the south of Ukraine.

The 12-mile-long Kerch Strait Bridge is a cherished political project of President Vladimir V. Putin and had become a potent symbol of the claims that Mr. Putin makes to the peninsula, which his forces illegally seized from Ukraine in 2014. Mr. Putin presided over the opening of the bridge in 2018, personally driving a truck across.

The extent of the damage was difficult to immediately assess, though any impediment to traffic on the bridge could have a profound effect on Russia’s ability to wage war in southern Ukraine. Videos showed the railroad burning and two of four lanes of roadway collapsed into the Black Sea, where waves lapped the asphalt.

The Russian Railways company said all trains to and from Crimea have been temporarily canceled, the state news agency Tass reported.

The bridge is the principal military supply route linking Russia with the Crimean Peninsula. Without it, the Russian military will be severely limited in its ability to bring fuel, equipment and ammunition to its units fighting an increasingly intense battle for the control of southern Ukraine. Russia still controls roads on overland routes from Russia into southern Ukraine, but those are within range of Ukrainian rocket artillery.

The peninsula also holds special meaning for Mr. Putin, who has told his people that Crimea is a “sacred place” and Russia’s “holy land.”

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement that a truck had exploded on the bridge, igniting seven fuel cisterns being pulled by train on a parallel railroad crossing headed in the direction of Crimea and causing two car spans to partially collapse. Preliminary information suggested that three people were killed, Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement.

While there were no immediate claims of responsibility, Russian and Ukrainian officials indicated that the fire was no accident.

The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, referred to the episode as an “emergency” in a statement on Saturday, without assessing who was behind it. He said that Mr. Putin, who had celebrated his 70th birthday on Friday, had been briefed.

“The president directed the prime minister to form a government commission to find out the causes of the incident and eliminate the consequences as soon as possible,” Mr. Peskov said, according to Russian state media.

Occupation officials in Crimea left little doubt about who they thought was responsible.

“Ukrainian vandals were able to reach the Crimean bridge with their bloody hands,” said Vladimir Konstantinov, the head of Crimea’s Kremlin-installed Parliament. Multiple Ukrainian officials and government agencies hinted, often slyly, that Ukrainian was responsible. Since early in the war, Kyiv has maintained a policy of ambiguity on attacks targeting Russian territory and some strikes on occupied land.

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, wrote on Twitter. “Everything illegal, must be destroyed. Everything stolen returned to Ukraine.”

In a wink at claiming credit, the Security Service of Ukraine, known by its Ukrainian acronym S.B.U., issued a statement as a rephrased stanza of a poem by the country’s national poet, Taras Shevchenko. “Dawn, the bridge is burning beautifully,” the agency posted on Twitter. “A nightingale in Crimea meets the S.B.U.”

A senior Ukrainian military official did not deny that Ukrainian forces were behind the attack but would not confirm it.

“All I can say is that an echelon with fuel intended to supply occupation forces in the south of Ukraine was passing over the bridge,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the news media.

As a symbol of Mr. Putin’s claim on Ukrainian land, the bridge has been tightly bound with the Russian president’s political messaging at home. Its partial destruction, however, could play into Mr. Putin’s claims that Russia is under attack from a Western-armed Ukraine and help tamp down domestic opposition to Russia’s first wartime draft since World War II. Ukrainian officials have said they worried hitting the bridge could galvanize Russian support for the war.

In recent weeks, military traffic heading across the bridge into Crimea has increased as Russia has raced tanks and artillery equipment to the front lines in the Kherson Region, which has been a focus of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the Russian army. Russian troops have been in retreat, abandoning towns and villages and falling back toward the regional capital, Kherson.

Maria Varenikova contributed reporting from Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/08/world/russia-ukraine-war-news

9 views no comments

Massive explosion cripples Crimea’s Kerch bridge, Russian officials say – CNN

In a major blow for Russia, a fuel tank explosion early Saturday caused part of Europe’s longest bridge that links Russia to the annexed territory of Crimea to collapse, according to Russian officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately ordered a “government commission” to examine the Kerch Bridge “emergency” in Crimea, Russian state media TASS reported.

The heads of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Transport are now at the scene of the incident, according to TASS.

Sergey Aksenov, the Russian-appointed Head of Crimea, confirmed that “two spans of the roadbed of the part [of the bridge] from Krasnodar to Kerch, collapsed” after a large explosion.

Aksenov said that “at the same time, fuel tanks caught fire. Now two locomotives are approaching” to remove the burning train, he said. Video and images from the bridge show several charred rail fuel trucks.

“As soon as the fire is extinguished, it will be possible to assess the extent of damage to the bridge and pillars, and it will be possible to talk about the timing of the restoration of traffic,” Aksenov said.

Images of the Kerch bridge posted on social media appear to show a portion of the roadway of the vehicle and rail bridge had fallen into the waters below it. Flames are seen burning from rail cars above.

The tanker was located on the 19-kilometer (11 mile) long bridge – strategically important because it links Russia’s Krasnodar region with the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

The bridge spans the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, on which sit key Ukrainian ports, including Mariupol. The source of the explosion remains unclear.

No further details on the timing or scope of the commission have been announced. The decision comes after Putin “received reports from [Russian Prime Minister] Mikhail Mishustin, [Russian Deputy Prime Minister] Marat Khusnullin, the heads of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Transport, and heads of law enforcement agencies in connection with the emergency on the Crimean bridge,” TASS reported, citing Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Russian state media RIA Novosti said that there are “no projections for the timing of the restoration of the Crimean bridge yet,” also citing Peskov.

Work is “underway to extinguish the fire,” the adviser to the Russian administration head of occupied Crimea, Oleg Kryunchkov, said in a Telegram post, adding that the bridge’s “shipping arches were not damaged.”

An official in Russian-annexed Crimea blamed “Ukrainian vandals” for the explosion on Kerch bridge in a post on Telegram.

“Ukrainian vandals somehow managed to get their bloody paws on the Crimean bridge. And now they have something to be proud of, in 23 years of their economic activity, they did not manage to build anything deserving of interest in Crimea. But they did succeed in damaging the roadbed of the Russian bridge,” Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov said.

“Such is the whole essence of the Kiev regime and the Ukrainian state … Of course, the causes of the accident will be investigated, and the damage will be repaired swiftly,” he added.

CNN cannot independently verify Konstantinov’s claim.

In an interview in August, a senior Ukrainian military commander said the Kerch bridge was a legitimate target.

“This is a necessary measure in order to deprive them (Russia) of the opportunity to provide reserves and reinforce their troops from Russian territory,” Maj. Gen. Dmytro Marchenko said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a cargo train in Ilovaisk in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region was hit by a “powerful explosion” Saturday morning, according to the adviser to Mariupol Mayor Petro Andrushenko.

“Not only Crimea. Not only fuel tanks. There is also a cargo train in Ilovaisk. Locals report a rather powerful explosion and subsequent detonation at night. The occupiers now have big problems with supplies from both sides,” Andrushenko said.

Pro-Russian authorities in the self-declared republic of Donetsk confirmed the cargo train incident, releasing video Saturday showing the fire’s aftermath at a local railway station.

Russia’s bridge to Crimea

The Kerch bridge is able to handle 40,000 cars a day and to move 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo per year, state news agency RIA Novosti reported when the bridge opened in 2018. Its opening – according to Russia’s official narrative – claimed to mark the physical “reunification” of Crimea with the Russian mainland.

After the bridge opened, the United States condemned its construction as illegal.

“Russia’s construction of the bridge serves as a reminder of Russia’s ongoing willingness to flout international law,” according to a US State Department statement at the time.

“The bridge represents not only an attempt by Russia to solidify its unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea, but also impedes navigation by limiting the size of ships that can transit the Kerch Strait, the only path to reach Ukraine’s territorial waters in the Sea of Azov.”

CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko, Teele Rebane, Tim Lister, Oleksandra Ochman and Brad Lendon contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/08/europe/crimea-bridge-explosion-intl-hnk/index.html

9 views no comments

Uvalde school district suspends its police force, 2 school officials placed on administrative leave after CNN report – CNN

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District said Friday it had suspended its school police force, less than five months after the attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

“The District has made the decision to suspend all activities of the Uvalde CISD Police Department for a period of time. Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district,” the district said in a statement.

Additionally, Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller have been placed on administrative leave, with Mueller electing to retire, according to the statement.

“The District has requested the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide additional troopers for campus and extra-curricular activities,” the district said. “We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition.”

The district cited unspecified “recent developments” that “uncovered additional concerns with department operations.”

One parent who had protested for days in front of the school district building, demanding the district take action, told CNN on Friday night he was ecstatic about the decision.

The moves come in the wake of a CNN report Wednesday which identified newly hired Uvalde school officer Crimson Elizondo as one of the state troopers under investigation for her actions during the response to the Robb Elementary School massacre in May.

The school district issued a statement on Thursday, following CNN’s report, announcing Elizondo’s termination.

In the wake of the CNN report, the school district superintendent told staff of his intention to retire.

Superintendent Hal Harrell told district staff Monday’s school board meeting will include a closed session to “discuss superintendent retirement options and transition,” according to an email obtained by CNN.

Brett Cross, who was the legal guardian of victim Uziyah Garcia, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday night the decision to suspend the campus officers was “our first win, you know, and I am ecstatic about it.”

Parent calls for report that hold people accountable

Cross said he wasn’t alone in the protest in front of the school district headquarters as people often came by to give their support.

They just want transparency and accountability from officials, he said.

“I’m not asking for much. We just want to see action,” Cross said, adding he hopes for a report on the details of what occurred that day. “I hope that it is unearthed and I hope that it is published because we deserve it. Our children deserve it.”

After the announcement Cross tweeted the end of his protest: “We did it! And we are going home!”

Police response to attack denounced as ‘abject failure’

Elizondo was among the first of 91 DPS officers to arrive at the school that day. She was one of 376 law enforcement personnel who responded as the shooter was left for 77 minutes, with dead, dying and traumatized victims, before he was stopped. The response to the attack has been denounced as an “abject failure” and the blame has spread widely.

The school police chief was fired and now seven DPS officers are being investigated. CNN reported exclusively that Elizondo is one of the officers under investigation. A source close to the investigation also confirmed that to CNN.

So far, the only person known to have lost their job over the response to the shooting has been school police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, who was fired by the school board in August. Arredondo became the figurehead of the failed response, though he has said he did not consider himself the incident commander and has called to be reinstated.

Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN that Elizondo is one of seven officers whose conduct is being investigated by DPS, but neither their names nor their conduct during the response been made public.

Elizondo was not properly equipped and told investigators she was not comfortable entering the school without her gear, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

She no longer works for DPS. During the summer, Elizondo was hired as an officer for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, where her role involved protecting some of the very same children who survived the Robb Elementary shooting.

Elizondo declined to speak with CNN in person, on the phone or by direct message.

Footage from police body cameras and those of other officers seen by CNN show Elizondo arriving at the outskirts of the school as one of the first officers to respond. She gets out of her official vehicle but does not retrieve any tactical body armor or her long rifle, as officers are trained to do. Elizondo walked inside the building briefly but mostly stood outside.

The school district has said it wanted to recruit 10 more officers after the attack. It did not specifically announce the hiring of Elizondo over the summer, though the names and photos of her and four other police officers, one lieutenant and one security guard are on its website, under the banner “KEEP U.C.I.S.D. SAFE.”

Harrell told a special town hall meeting in August that at least 33 DPS officers would also be deployed around the district’s eight schools.

After concerns by residents that officers who failed to stop the killing would be tasked with school security, Cross told CNN he had been assured the deployed DPS officers would not have been responders to the shooting.

“Our children have been taken from us. We will not stop fighting until we have answers and we ensure the safety of the children in our community is the top priority,” said a statement from representatives for families of district students.

Texas DPS last month launched an internal review into its employees who responded to the school shooting.

CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Paradise Afshar and Rachel Clarke contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/07/us/uvalde-police-department-suspended/index.html

48 views no comments

Judges in Ohio and Arizona Temporarily Block States’ Abortion Bans – The New York Times

State officials had argued that the right to abortion was not explicitly found in Ohio’s Constitution.

Judge Jenkins, a Democrat, said that the state was “simply wrong” to argue “that a right does not exist because it is not specifically listed in the Constitution.”

“By the state’s reasoning, the Obergefell decision recognizing the right to gay marriage is wrong,” the judge said, referring to the 2015 Supreme Court decision that made same-sex marriage a nationwide right.

The Ohio law restricts abortion after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which is generally six weeks after the start of a pregnant woman’s last period, and before many women realize they are pregnant.

The law does not include exceptions for rape and incest, a feature that drew national attention this summer when a 10-year-old Ohio girl who had become pregnant through rape was denied an abortion in her home state.

The plaintiffs argued that the Ohio law deprived women of liberty and due process rights, citing several examples of unnamed women. They included a cancer patient who had to travel out of state for an abortion, according to affidavits submitted by a Cleveland abortion clinic. The patient, who had stage III melanoma, “broke down and cried” after learning she would have to travel outside of the state for an abortion so she could begin cancer treatment. Cancer treatments can be harmful to the fetus, so patients are often given the option of abortion before beginning treatment.

“Does a law that prevents a cancer patient from getting lifesaving treatment infringe on those rights? The answer is obviously it does,” Judge Jenkins said. The plaintiffs said they were “relieved that patients in Ohio can continue to access abortion as we work to fight this unjust and dangerous ban in court.”

“The preliminary injunction will be in place for the duration of our case, which means abortions will be legal in Ohio for a period much, much longer” than the initial suspension, they added.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/us/ohio-abortion-ban-suspension.html

11 views no comments

Donald Trump seeks to withhold two folders seized at Mar-a-Lago – The Guardian US

Donald Trump is seeking to withhold from the justice department two folders marked as containing correspondence with the National Archives and signing sheets that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to court filings in the special master review of the confiscated documents.

The former US president’s privilege assertions over the folders, which appear to have direct relevance to the criminal investigation into whether he retained national defense information and obstructed justice, are significant as they represent an effort to exclude the items from the inquiry and keep them confidential.

Most notably, Trump asserted privilege over the contents of one red folder marked as containing “NARA letters and other copies” and a second, manilla folder marked as containing “NARA letters one top sheet + 3 signing sheets”, a review of the court filings indicated.

The former president also asserted privilege over 35 pages of documents titled “The President’s Calls” that included the presidential seal in the upper left corner and contained handwritten names, numbers, notes about messages and four blank pages of miscellaneous notes, the filings showed.

Trump additionally also did the same over an unsigned 2017 letter concerning former special counsel Robert Mueller, pages of an email about election fraud lawsuits in Fulton County, Georgia, and deliberations about clemency to a certain “MB”, Ted Suhl and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The documents the former president is attempting to withhold from the criminal investigation by asserting some sort of privilege – it was not clear whether he asserted executive or attorney-client privilege over the two folders, for instance – became clear after a Friday ruling by the special master.

In the three-page order, US district court judge Raymond Dearie – appointed as the special master with a mandate to screen the seized materials for potential privilege issues – made public the unique identifier numbers for documents for which Trump is not claiming privilege.

Ordinarily, the exact nature of the documents being claimed as protected would remain private. But an apparent docketing error by the court earlier in the week revealed the seized materials that the justice department’s “filter team” identified as potentially privileged.

By comparing the unique identifier numbers for which Trump was not claiming privilege with the inadvertently unsealed list of potentially privileged documents, the Guardian was able to identify which documents the former president was seeking to withhold from the department.

The special master directed that the “filter team” should transfer the documents not deemed to be privileged by Trump to the “case team” conducting the criminal investigation before 10 October, the ruling showed.

Once the documents are transferred, the special master wrote, Trump’s lawyers and the department should confer and attempt to resolve any disputes about executive privilege over the remaining records before 20 October – and then submit any outstanding issues to him to decide.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/07/trump-exclude-documents-inquiry-mar-a-lago-fbi-special-master

9 views no comments

Overwhelmed medical examiners grapple with grim task after Hurricane Ian – NBC News

11 views no comments

Gov. Newsom will call special legislative session to impose windfall tax on oil companies – KCRA Sacramento

Gov. Gavin Newsom will call state lawmakers back to Sacramento for a special session in response to rising gas prices.

The session will take place on Dec. 5.

“It’s time to get serious, I’m sick of this,” Newsom said on Friday. “This is one of the greatest fleecings for consumers in world history.”

BREAKING: Governor Gavin Newsom will call a special legislative session December 5th to impose a windfall tax on oil companies in California.

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) October 7, 2022

The governor has requested the Legislature approve a measure that would require oil companies to pay back excessive profits to consumers through a new tax. The Legislature finished policymaking for the year on Aug. 31 and can’t begin action on proposals until January, unless the governor calls the special legislative session.

(Earlier coverage in video above.)

Newsom said Friday he chose Dec. 5 because that is when the Legislature was already scheduled to reconvene briefly to swear-in new state lawmakers after the election. He said his office wants time to make sure the proposal is on solid, legal ground in anticipation of lawsuits from the oil industry.

NEW: I’m calling for a Special Session to address the greed of oil companies. Gas prices are too high. Time to enact a windfall profits tax directly on oil companies that are ripping you off at the pump.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 7, 2022

The measure would require approval from two-thirds of the Legislature. Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San Jose, proposed a similar measure in March that stalled soon after it was introduced. Although Newsom intervened in other, climate-related proposals toward the end of the legislative session, he did not get involved with Lee’s.

Top Democratic lawmakers, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, said in a statement that they looked forward to Newsom’s “detailed proposal” and referenced inflation relief payments that have begun to hit bank accounts.

| MORE | California inflation relief payments start going out

“The gas rebates that are beginning to roll out today to Californians were a huge step in helping ease the brunt of rising fuel costs, and we will continue to examine all other options to help consumers,” they said. “As stated last week, a solution that takes excessive profits out of the hands of oil corporations and puts money back into the hands of consumers deserves strong consideration by the Legislature.”

California Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher and Vince Fong, the Assembly Budget Committee vice chair argued in a letter Friday for Newsom to not call the special session.

They said that if Newsom does take that action, lawmakers should suspend the state’s gas tax instead.

Newsom’s latest policy push comes after California’s Energy Commission demanded answers from the state’s major oil companies in response to spiking gas prices. Oil groups have said the latest spike in the state is the result of supply and demand issues.

In a response letter to the state, PBF Energy’s Senior Vice President Paul Davis pointed to California’s mounting restrictions that have made it harder to refine oil and import gasoline.

Valero leaders noted in their letter, post-pandemic supply and demand has presented recent challenges. “California is the most challenging market to serve in the United States for several reasons,” wrote Scott Folwarkow, the company’s Vice President of State Government Affairs.

The Western States Petroleum Association on Friday said that a “better use” of a special legislative session would be to “take a hard look at decades of California energy policy and what they mean to consumers and our economy.”

“If this was anything other than a political stunt, the governor wouldn’t wait two months, and would call the session now,” their statement said. “This industry is ready to work on real solutions to energy costs and reliability if that is what the governor is truly interested in.”

The rise in gas prices comes weeks after the governor and state lawmakers passed a sweeping set of climate bills, some that will significantly reduce the state’s use of oil and gas over the next two decades.

When asked if he thinks the spike in gas prices is pay back for the legislation he signed, Newsom noted the oil industry has launched a referendum against one of those proposals that establishes new set-backs for oil drilling away from communities.

“I thought that was payback, that’s how these guys operate,” Newsom said. “These guys are playing us for fools, they have been for decades.”

The Republican National Committee released the following statement: “Gavin Newsom calling a special session to create a new tax on gasoline is the epitome of what’s wrong with California Democrats. Newsom and his supermajority are trying to distract voters from the fact that their policies made gas prices so high, but creating a new tax that will inevitably be handed down to taxpayers in the midst historic inflation is a failing strategy.”

| MORE | Here’s why gas prices vary from gas station to gas station

–KCRA 3’s Daniel Macht contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.kcra.com/article/gov-newsom-to-call-special-legislative-session-to-impose-windfall-tax-on-oil-companies/41560952

11 views no comments

Ukraine war: World must act now to stop Russia nuclear threat – Zelensky – BBC

Then, in Ukrainian, he said through a translator: “What we see is that Russia’s people in power like life and thus I think the risk of using nuclear weapons is not that definite as some experts say, because they understand that there is no turning back after using it, not only the history of their country, but themselves as personalities.”

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63173443

12 views no comments

Family describes being terrorized by suspect in Merced killings – Los Angeles Times

MERCED, Calif. —

When Kathy and her daughter Katrina first saw surveillance images of the man accused of kidnapping and killing four members of a Merced family, they did not immediately recognize him.

Jesus Manuel Salgado, now 48, had aged significantly, and Kathy and Katrina weren’t sure he was the man who robbed them at gunpoint in their dark garage 17 years ago.

Salgado was taken into custody Tuesday on suspicion of kidnapping and murder in the deaths of Jasdeep Singh, 36; his wife, Jasleen Kaur, 27; their 8-month-old daughter, Aroohi Dheri; and Singh’s brother Amandeep Singh, 39. The four were abducted at gunpoint from the family business a day earlier in an incident captured on surveillance video.

On Friday, Sukhdeep Singh, a brother of Jasdeep and Amandeep, confirmed that Salgado had worked for his brother’s company, Unison Trucking.

Nearly two decades ago, Salgado had worked for Kathy and Katrina’s family, which also owned a trucking company.

They noticed the methods in the two crimes seemed eerily similar: terrorize a family on their property at gunpoint and force them to follow orders under the threat of death.

“My heart is shattered for this family,” said Katrina, who asked that their last name not be used.

This week’s events took the women back to the night of Dec. 19, 2005.

Salgado had worked for their family’s trucking company but was fired in 2004 because the family suspected him of stealing money, she and her mother said.

Kathy and Katrina remembered Salgado as unfailingly polite, if quiet.

“It was always, ‘Yes, ma’am, no ma’am,’ ” Kathy said.

Katrina recalled mornings when he would come into their house before her father, Wade, drove Salgado to work.

“I never felt scared around him,” she said. “He was nice. I never put a fear with his face.”

Katrina was 16 and hanging out with a friend that night when she got a rare call from her father.

“Tell Mom to open the door ’cause I bought a rug,” Wade told her.

She didn’t know that Salgado had sneaked up behind her father as he arrived home and pulled a gun on him.

Salgado held the family at gunpoint, binding Katrina’s father’s hands with duct tape, she said. He rounded up the family as well as Katrina’s friend and took them to the garage, where the family kept a safe stocked with cash and jewelry, they said.

Kathy struggled with the safe’s lock, her fingers trembling as Salgado pointed the gun at the family, she said. Katrina lit the darkened room with the light from a phone, she said.

“I was so scared,” Kathy said. “And I expected to hear the shot as soon as [the safe] was open.”

The cash and jewels weren’t enough, though, Kathy said. Salgado wanted her wedding ring.

“You want my ring?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Katrina’s father had recognized his former employee, even though Salgado was wearing a mask, Katrina recalled.

“Don’t use his name,” he whispered to Kathy.

Salgado led the family to the backyard pool and made them jump in as he escaped, Kathy and Katrina said. He was caught a few days later after the family reported him to police.

Salgado was convicted in early 2007 of home invasion robbery with a gun, attempted false imprisonment and witness intimidation, Merced County prosecutors said. He served nearly 10 years in prison before getting paroled in 2015.

“Because of what he did to us, in his mind, he had to smarten up. He didn’t get away with it,” Katrina said.

Video surveillance this week showed that, as with Kathy and Katrina’s family, the suspect in Monday’s kidnapping held the Singh family at gunpoint, binding the men’s arms but not Jasleen Kaur’s.

The gunman led the family members in groups of two to a car and drove them away, the video showed.

On Tuesday morning, Merced County sheriff’s detectives learned that a bank card belonging to one of the victims was used at a bank ATM in the nearby town of Atwater.

After reviewing surveillance video from the bank, investigators believed the person making the transaction resembled a man photographed by security cameras at the site of the kidnapping, authorities said.

Salgado was identified as a person of interest in the investigation and “prior to law enforcement involvement” attempted to take his own life, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The bodies of Dheri, Kaur and the two Singhs were found by a farmer in Dos Palos the following day.

“Tonight our worst fears have been confirmed,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said after the bodies were discovered in an orchard. Authorities released surveillance video of the kidnapping hours earlier.

The killings have shattered the victims’ family.

“This is the story of our shared American dream gone wrong,” Jaspreet Kaur, the widow of Amandeep Singh, wrote in a post for a GoFundMe site.

She described 8-month-old Aroohi as a joyous baby who loved to be held by family members. The child lived with her parents, aunt, uncle and two cousins, all under one roof.

Jasdeep and Amandeep had immigrated to America more than a decade ago, the post said; Jasdeep’s wife, Jasleen Kaur, had come to California two years ago.

“As immigrants to America, they [Jasdeep and Amandeep] worked tirelessly for 18 years to achieve safety, security, and community for themselves and their families. Aman and Jasdeep were the primary bread earners for the family,” the post read.

Salgado was jailed on suspicion of kidnapping and murder on Thursday, after being released from the hospital.

On Friday, Salgado’s brother, Alberto Salgado, was arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, accessory and destroying evidence in the case.

Family members of the victims have declined to comment to The Times.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation and will present evidence to the county district attorney’s office, which will consider charges against the Salgados.

The sheriff has said said he hopes the district attorney pursues the death penalty in the case.

“There’s a special place in hell” for the suspect, Warnke said.

Times staff writer Marcum reported from Merced, Calif., and Goldberg and Hernandez from Los Angeles.

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-07/merced-family-recalls-2005-armed-robbery-by-suspect-in-kidnapping-slaying-what-a-sick-human

10 views no comments

Uvalde district suspends school police department amid protests after shooting – The Washington Post

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D), who represents the Uvalde area, credited victims’ relatives — especially Brett Cross, who raised his nephew, Uziyah Garcia, 10, like a son, and camped outside Uvalde school offices to protest — with forcing the district to act. Parents and other relatives have held marches in the small South Texas town, filed grievances and spoken at countless school board meetings, demanding accountability.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/07/uvalde-district-suspends-school-police-department-amid-protests-over-shooting/

28 views no comments

As California stimulus checks of up to $1,050 start to go out, here’s what you need to know – CNBC

WATCH LIVE

Up to 23 million California residents are about to receive tax refunds of as much as $1,050, thanks to one-time stimulus payments the Golden State began deploying Friday.

The payments, which will total $9.5 billion, mark the largest program of its kind in the state’s history.

The initiative, dubbed the Middle Class Tax Refund, comes as inflation nationally has reached historic highs. California had a record $97.5 billion surplus as it finalized its budget including the payments earlier this year.

“We know it’s expensive right now, and California is putting money back into your pockets to help,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement.

“We’re sending out refunds worth over a thousand dollars to help families pay for everything from groceries to gas,” he said.

Who qualifies for a refund?

To qualify to receive a payment, you must meet certain requirements.

You must have been a resident of California for six months or more in the 2020 tax year and be a current state resident.

You must have filed a 2020 tax return by Oct. 15, 2021, and have adjusted gross income within the required thresholds.

Additionally, you must not have been claimed as a dependent by someone else.

How much money will I receive?

Payments for eligible couples who file jointly may range from $400 to $1,050.

Qualifying individuals may receive $200 to $700.

The amount of the checks depends on two factors: income and number of dependents.

The most generous amount — $1,050 — goes to married couples who file jointly with $150,000 or less in income and a dependent. A couple in that income category will receive $700 if they have no dependents.

Individual taxpayers with $75,000 or less in income may receive $700 if they have a dependent and $350 if they do not.

The payments are gradually phased out for those with up to $500,000 in income, for married couples, and $250,000, for individuals. California residents with incomes above those thresholds will not receive a stimulus payment.

The income is based on your California adjusted gross income, which can be found on line 17 of the 2020 Form 540 or line 16 of the 2020 Form 540 2EZ.

An online tool can help estimate your payment amount.

When will the checks go out?

Payments will be issued between this month and January.

Direct deposits will be sent to residents who e-filed their 2020 state returns and received a refund from the state by direct deposit. About 90% of the direct deposits are expected to be issued in October, starting Friday.

Other payments will be issued on debit cards sent in the mail starting later this month.

A total of 18 million payments will be sent. The checks are expected to benefit up to 23 million Californians.

To find out when you may receive your money, check the online payment schedule.

Will the payments cause inflation?

California is not the only state to deploy one-time rebates amid budget surpluses. Florida, for example, is sending $450 to certain families with kids.

A big question prompted by the checks sent by California and other states is whether they will exacerbate inflation.

While California “on net will come out ahead,” it may be impacted as other states export inflation with their refunds, Harvard University economics professor Jason Furman recently tweeted.

“Californians are going to come out behind from any ‘inflation relief payments’ made by Florida and other states,” he wrote.

While states have been deploying one-time payments all year, there has been an uptick as Election Day approaches, noted Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation.

“States are sitting on record surpluses and many individuals are struggling under the weight of extremely high inflation,” Walczak said.

That’s prompting policymakers to put the two together and want to write checks.

“Unfortunately, that’s only fueling further inflation by injecting more money in an overheated economy,” Walczak said.

Tax cuts would be a better alternative for long-term additional revenues, he said. If instead states are looking at one-time money, it would be better spent on one-time needs, such as pension or rainy day funds, he said.

TV

WATCH LIVE WATCH IN THE APP

TV

WATCH LIVE WATCH IN THE APP

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/07/as-california-stimulus-checks-start-to-go-out-what-you-need-to-know.html

10 views no comments

Dogs that fatally mauled Tennessee toddlers, injured mom were never violent, friend says – Fox News

Video

Pit bulls terrorize Florida community

Witnesses call police after pair of dogs bit three people in a local park in the Daytona Beach area.

FIRST ON FOX: The family dogs who mauled two Tennessee toddlers to death Wednesday and left their mother with severe injuries had never been aggressive, a friend told Fox News Digital.

Kirstie Jane Bennard, 30, was seriously wounded when she tried to pull the family’s two pit bulls off 5-month-old Hollace Dean and 2-year-old Lilly Jane at their home in rural Shelby County outside Memphis.

“That attack lasted longer than any one of us could have ever imagined,” the devastated mom’s best friend, Kelsey Canfield, told Fox News Digital

“I can promise you those children were her world, and if there was any inkling of danger, she would have never had those dogs near her kids,” the shattered mom’s best friend, Kelsey Canfield, told Fox News Digital. “Those children were everything to them, and they just have a really long journey ahead.”

The family had the pets, Cheech and Mia, for more than eight years without a violent incident, Canfield said.

TENNESSEE TODDLER, INFANT KILLED BY FAMILY DOGS, MOTHER IN CRITICAL CONDITION: SHERIFF

Kirstie Jane and Colby Bennard with their 5-month-old son Hollace and 2-year-old daughter Lilly. The children were mauled to death by the family pit bulls.
(Facebook)

“That attack lasted longer than any one of us could have ever imagined,” she added.

PHILADELPHIA MAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER BEING ATTACKED BY HIS OWN DOG

Canfield was with Kirstie Jane Bennard’s sister Friday, and they were headed to Regional One Health in Memphis to visit her. Her condition was upgraded from critical to stable.

“She was initially confused. She’s awake now, and she’s aware [of what happened],” Canfield said.

Hollace and Lilly Bennard were mauled to death by the family’s pit bulls in Tennessee on Wednesday.
(Facebook)

The children’s father, Colby Bennard, who works as a parts manager at Bumpus Harley-Davidson, wasn’t home at the time of the attack. The father had shared photos of Cheech and Mia on Facebook, calling them “house lions.”

Authorities did not say why the family pets viciously turned on the children, who are the couple’s only kids.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the tragic killings, said the pit bulls were euthanized.

Police and the fire department responded Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. to the two-story home near Shelby Forrest State Park, and the children were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bennard family pit bulls, Cheech and Mia, who were euthanized Thursday.
(Facebook)

“They were perfect, they were beautiful,” Canfield said of the children, adding that they “worshiped each other.”

DALLAS 4-YEAR-OLD GIRL REPORTEDLY DIES FROM A MULTIPLE-DOG ATTACK

Kirstie Jane Bennard’s sister, who did not provide her name, asked for privacy while the family grieves. “It was not just a loss to my sister but to me as well,” she said, weeping. “That was my niece and nephew.”

The community is reeling from the horrific attack.

Five-month-old Hollace Bennard and his big sister, 2-year-old Lilly. The children were killed Wednesday by the family’s pet pit bulls.
(Facebook)

“To say that I am at a loss for words and my heart is and has been breaking since I found out is an understatement,” wrote friend Stephanie Chipman on Facebook above a series of photos of Kirstie Jane Bennard and her family.

“Just in absolute shock. Praying so so so hard for the good Lord to hold you and your family tight and help you make your way through this. Here for you always and love you so much!” the post continued.

Kirstie Jane Bennard, left, poses with a friend in an undated photo. Her two children died Wednesday after they were mauled to death by the family dogs.
(Facebook)

The children’s autopsies are still pending.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

At least 33 people in the U.S. were mauled to death in 2020 by pit bulls — more than any other dog breed, according to non-profit dogsbite.org.

Rebecca Rosenberg is a veteran journalist and book author with a focus on crime and criminal justice. Email tips to rebecca.rosenberg@fox.com and @ReRosenberg.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/dogs-fatally-mauled-tennessee-toddlers-injured-mom-never-violent-friend-says

15 views no comments

Zelenskyy: Russia beginning to ‘prepare their society’ for nuclear war – Business Insider

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing its people for nuclear war.
Speaking with the BBC, Zelenskyy said such preparations were “very dangerous.”
But he added that he did not think Russia had made a decision on whether to use nuclear weapons.

The Russian government is laying the groundwork to use nuclear arms, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, adding that he did not think a decision on whether to use such weapons had been made but that even talking about it was “dangerous.”

Speaking with the BBC, Zelenskyy said Russia had begun “to prepare their society” for a nuclear strike in Ukraine, where Russian forces have been retreating in the wake of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in which the country recaptured territory that was annexed by Moscow a week ago. Zelenskyy added of the prospect of nuclear warfare: “That’s very dangerous.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons, recently saying the US had set a “precedent” by dropping atomic bombs in World War II. While their use is still deemed exceedingly unlikely by analysts, Western officials are taking the threats seriously and monitoring Russia for any signs it may be preparing to use a smaller, tactical nuclear weapon on the battlefield — a possibility that one expert told Insider was “extraordinarily” concerning.

US President Joe Biden has likewise said he believes Putin is “not joking” about such threats.

While noting he shared such concerns, Zelenskyy said there was no reason to be fatalistic about a Russian threat designed to make Western nations think twice about supporting Ukraine.

“They are not ready to do it, to use it. But they begin to communicate. They don’t know whether they’ll use or not use it,” he said, adding: “I think it’s dangerous to even speak about it.”

Zelenskyy said Russia was already threatening the world with its actions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which it occupied in early March. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency last month said the situation at the plant was “untenable,” adding: “We are one step away from a nuclear accident.” The standoff has raised fears of another Chernobyl disaster, the 1986 nuclear-reactor meltdown that spread dangerous radiation across Europe.

The Ukrainian president urged his allies to impose additional sanctions on Russia to discourage any sort of nuclear duress.

“The world can stop urgently the actions of Russian occupiers,” he said. “The world can implement the sanction package in such cases and do everything to make them leave the nuclear power plant.”

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/zelenskyy-russia-beginning-to-prepare-their-society-for-nuclear-war-2022-10

14 views no comments

Merced kidnapping deaths: Family friends offer new details about family killed – KCRA Sacramento

MERCED, Calif. —

Loved ones of four family members – including an 8-month-old baby – are grieving their deaths as investigators continue to piece together their kidnapping and deaths.

Paramjeet Singh, a friend of the family for the past 15 years, said Thursday that the immediate families were still too shaken by the horrific developments this week to speak to reporters.

“It’s a really big tragedy for the family, for the community, for all of us,” he said.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office said the family was kidnapped from the family’s business in Merced on Monday.

A man – identified by authorities as Jesus Manuel Salgado— can be seen on surveillance video leading brothers Jasdeep Singh, 36, and Amandeep Singh, 39, from the business before going back for the 8-month-old child Aroohi Dheri and her 27-year-old mother, Jasleen Kaur.

Video Below: Questions, anger present after deaths of four family members in Merced

Paramjeet Singh said the family members were kind, hardworking people with strong family ties in both India and Merced County.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “For us, it’s very cruel. It’s an unexpected incident.”

Edwin Kainth, also a friend of the family for the past 17 years, said he was designated to speak on behalf of the family. Kainth said the suspect had previously worked as a truck driver for the Singh brothers, for a short period of time, and that they had parted on bad terms.

“The entire Merced County is kind of shaken,” Kainth said. “(Wednesday), when they recovered the bodies of four innocent family members, that will never be forgotten.”

Kainth said he wanted to see the suspect thoroughly prosecuted and wanted law enforcement to step up enforcement around businesses in the area, especially those operated by members of the Sikh community.

Source Article from https://www.kcra.com/article/merced-kidnapping-deaths-friends-new-details-about-family-killed-california/41550380

9 views no comments

Trulieve CEO on Biden’s weed moves: ‘Better late than never’ – Yahoo Finance

“Better late than never!”

That’s how Trulieve (TCNNF) CEO Kim Rivers reacted to President Biden’s marijuana pardons on Thursday, more than 18 months into his term. The president pardoned everyone convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law.

The pardons apply to about 6,500 people who were convicted on federal charges and thousands more who were convicted in the District of Columbia.

“Well, I mean, better late than never is what I would say,” Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers told Yahoo Finance. “And I’m really thankful that President Biden did step up and fulfill one of his campaign promises which was, of course, as he stated early on, that no one should be in jail for cannabis use or possession.”

In addition to the pardons, Biden also urged governors to follow his lead for those convicted on state charges of simple possession. Rivers said she’s “very hopeful” governors will follow suit at the state level considering there are more individuals incarcerated at the state level for possession.

“And so hopefully, this will start a movement there,” she added.

Biden is also directing his Heath and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to expedite a review of whether marijuana should continue to be listed as a Schedule I substance, as is heroin.

When asked about the review, Rivers referred to it as “historic and monumental.”

“I think we can all agree that [Schedule I for marijuana] is simply laughable. There are millions of Americans who use cannabis legally under state programs today for health and well-being and recreationally as an alternative to alcohol,” she said. “And so certainly, it sends a strong signal that this administration is taking proactive steps to reexamine how this country has categorized marijuana historically.”

Rivers said cannabis stocks had been hammered this year prior to the news, most seeing their market cap cut in half. Due to the lack of federal action, Rivers said “the sector has been held back.”

“I think that coming into a Democratic-controlled House and Congress, coupled with a presidency, who ran on promises of cannabis reform, the sector has been stagnated and waiting for a substantive step forward, which I think was provided today,” Rivers said.

Rivers, however, could not definitively say she’s more optimistic about the prospects of legalization, however

“I can tell you that in terms of full-blown legalization, again, that is going to take some work,” she said. “We do need to make sure that it is a thoughtful program that is— does ensure that folks who are currently utilizing cannabis are able to continue.”

But Rivers is hopeful that this move “is the first of many steps to come.”

David Briggs is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @davebriggstv.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Source Article from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trulieve-ceo-on-bidens-weed-moves-better-late-than-never-175711987.html

11 views no comments

Herschel Walker’s campaign fires its political director in key Georgia Senate race – CNN

Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign cut ties with its political director on Wednesday, CNN has learned, the move coming just days after The Daily Beast reported that the Georgia Republican paid for a woman’s abortion more than a decade ago.

The departure of Taylor Crowe, who previously held the same role on ex-GOP Sen. David Perdue’s failed bid for Georgia governor this year, comes just weeks before Election Day in the crucial Senate contest against Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock. With an evenly split Senate, Republicans are hoping to flip the Georgia seat as they look to take control of the chamber.

Two people familiar with the matter said Crowe was fired after suspected leaking to members of the media. It is unclear if there were any other factors at play.

Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise declined to comment when reached by CNN on Friday. Crowe himself did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

CNN has not been able to independently verify the allegation against Walker, who has repeatedly denied that he ever paid for an abortion.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/07/politics/herschel-walker-taylor-crowe-georgia-senate/index.html

16 views no comments

Uvalde school district suspends entire police force, superintendent to retire amid fallout from shooting – ABC News

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

The Uvalde, Texas, school district — still facing withering criticism over its police department’s failings both during the May 24 elementary school massacre and since — announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday.

Hours later, Uvalde school district Superintendent Hal Harrell announced he would be retiring. There was no timeframe given for Harrell’s retirement, but the transition will be discussed in a closed session of the school board on Monday.

The district said it’s requested more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be stationed on campuses and at extracurricular activities amid the police department suspension, adding, “We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition.”

The length of the school district police suspension is not clear.

Lt. Miguel Hernandez, who was tasked with leading the department in the fallout from the shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers, and Ken Mueller, the UCISD’s director of student services, were placed on administrative leave.

Hernandez acknowledged in a law enforcement communication in August that he’d received formal notification from DPS that an officer applying to Uvalde’s school police force was under investigation for her response at Robb Elementary.

Mueller has elected to retire, according to the school district.

“Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district,” the school district said. According to the district’s website, that includes four officers and one security guard.

Victims’ families, led by Brett Cross, guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, had been holding a round-the-clock vigil outside the school district headquarters calling for change. The families are now commending Friday’s police department announcement.

“They don’t know how to hire people, they don’t know how to vet officers,” Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter, Lexi, was killed at Robb Elementary, told ABC News. “They haven’t provided proper training.”

Friday’s news was “what we’ve been asking for — it’s more than we’ve been asking for,” she said.

Gloria Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter, Jackie, was killed, called the department suspension “bittersweet.”

“It’s a win — a small win,” she told ABC News. “We’re not done.”

The department suspension comes one day after the firing of Crimson Elizondo, the officer who was hired by Uvalde’s school district despite being under investigation for her conduct as a DPS trooper during the massacre.

Elizondo was the first DPS member to enter the hallway at Robb after the shooter gained entry. The trooper did not bring her rifle or vest into the school, according to the results of an internal review by DPS that was detailed to ABC News.

As a result of potential failure to follow standard procedures, the trooper was among seven DPS personnel whose conduct is now being investigated by the agency’s inspector general. The seven were suspended, however, by Elizondo resigning from DPS to work for the Uvalde schools she was no longer subject to any internal discipline or penalties. Her conduct — if found to be in violation of law or policy — would still be included in the final report from the DPS inspector general.

The school district said in Friday’s statement that “decisions concerning” the school district police department have been pending results of investigations from the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the private investigative firm JPPI Investigations, but “recent developments have uncovered additional concerns with department operations.”

Results of the JPPI investigation “will inform future personnel decisions” and the Texas Police Chiefs Association’s review “will guide the rebuilding of the department and the hiring of a new Chief of Police,” the statement said.

The school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, was fired in August.

ABC News’ Patrick Linehan and Olivia Osteen contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/uvalde-school-district-suspends-entire-police-force-fallout/story?id=91172897

14 views no comments

NYC Mayor Eric Adams declares state of emergency over influx of migrants – CNN

Mayor Eric Adams has declared a state of emergency to help respond to the city’s migrant crisis, which he told reporters Friday will cost the city $1 billion this fiscal year.

“We now have a situation where more people are arriving in New York City than we can immediately accommodate, including families with babies and young children,” Adams said. “Once the asylum seekers from today’s buses are provided shelter, we would surpass the highest number of people in recorded history in our city’s shelter system.”

The mayor called for emergency federal and state aid to handle the continued influx of asylum seekers.

Adams’ declaration will direct all relevant city agencies to coordinate efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis and to construct the city’s Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers. The state of emergency will be in effect for 30 days and may be extended, the mayor said.

New York City now has more than 61,000 people in its shelter system, including thousands experiencing homelessness and thousands of asylum seekers who have been bused in over recent months from other parts of the country, according to the mayor. He said more than 17,000 asylum seekers have been bused to New York City from the southern border since April of this year.

As of the first week of October, Texas has spent more than $18 million busing migrants – who have been processed and released by immigration authorities in Texas border communities – to Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the program in April as part of his response to the Biden administration’s immigration policies, and acknowledged that taxpayers were likely to foot the bill.

New York City’s shelter system is operating at near 100% capacity, Adams said. The city expects to spend at least $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year dealing with the influx of migrants, the mayor said, adding that if asylum seekers continue to enter the city at the current rate, the total population within the shelter system will exceed 100,000 in the year to come.

Adams said 42 hotels have been set up as emergency shelters and 5,500 migrant children have been enrolled in schools.

The city is also exploring a potential program for New Yorkers to volunteer to host asylum seekers and the “unhoused” in their homes.

“New Yorkers want to help, and we’re going to make it straightforward and easy for them to do so,” the mayor said. 

Republican governors at odds with Biden policies

Adams said in September that officials were assessing how they will respond to the influx of migrants, including legal options.

“Once we finalize how we’re going to continue to live up to our legal and moral obligation, we’re going to announce it. Until then, we’re just letting people know what we’re thinking of and how we’re going to find creative ways to solve this man-made humanitarian crisis,” Adams said at an unrelated event.

A record number of migrants were bused to the city on September 18 – nine in total, which is the most recorded in a single day in this recent wave, according to two city officials. At least 1,011 asylum seekers arrived from September 16 to September 18, according to a third city official.

Texas has bused more than 11,000 migrants to New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago since August, Abbott’s office announced in September.

The city of El Paso bussed 7,754 migrants to New York and 2,091 to Chicago from August 23 to October 6 in 207 charter buses, according to Mario D’Agostino, El Paso City Deputy Manager. The migrants being offered the city-funded buses had been processed by Border Patrol and released in the community.

Abbott and others who favor increasing immigration restrictions argue that Biden administration policies have provided an incentive for more people to cross the border illegally. Some Republican candidates have pushed the narrative of a migrant invasion as midterm elections approach, pledging they’ll do more to crack down on illegal immigration.

The busing campaign has led to sparring between Abbott and Adams, whose administration has accused the governor of using human beings as political pawns and whose city has been long considered a sanctuary for migrants. The mayor has asked the federal government for more resources, including housing assistance. The White House said it is in touch with Adams and committed to FEMA funding and other support.

Adams has said he has spoken with the mayor of El Paso and told him New York City cannot accommodate this many asylum seekers. He said the city has been in contact with Abbott’s office, adding that the Texas governor and his team have not been open to communication.

Adams reiterated that New York City is still a sanctuary city but stressed it is unable to handle such an overwhelming influx of migrants.

“We are not telling anyone that New York can accommodate every migrant in the city,” the mayor said Monday. “We’re not encouraging people to send eight, nine buses a day. That is not what we’re doing. We’re saying that as a sanctuary city with right to shelter, we’re going to fulfill that obligation. That’s what we’re doing.”

CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/07/us/nyc-mayor-emergency-migrants/index.html

17 views no comments

últimas notícias

Ultimas Noticias

Individuals facing state marijuana charges

Unlawfully present non-citizens charged federally with simple possession of marijuana

Individuals charged in the future with federal simple marijuana possession offenses

Individuals charged with other offenses

Russia’s bridge to Crimea

Parent calls for report that hold people accountable

Police response to attack denounced as ‘abject failure’

Who qualifies for a refund?

How much money will I receive?

When will the checks go out?

Will the payments cause inflation?

Pit bulls terrorize Florida community

Republican governors at odds with Biden policies