From the Trenches World Report
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The parents of a woman who was shot and killed Sunday by Auburn police say they hoped to get her to a hospital, but “instead the police ended up putting a bullet in her.”
Melissa Boarts, 36, died Sunday afternoon after police said they fired on her as she charged at them with an unidentified weapon. Continue reading “Woman shot to death by Auburn police sought help but officers ‘put a bullet in her,’ parents say”
The first migrants deported from Greek islands under a disputed EU-Turkey deal were shipped back to Turkey on Monday in a drive to shut down the main route used by more than a million people fleeing war and poverty to reach Europe in the last year.
Under a pact criticized by refugee agencies and human rights campaigners, Ankara will take back all migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean to enter Greece illegally, including Syrians. Continue reading “Migrants sent back from Greece arrive in Turkey under EU deal”
The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld the method all states use to draw their legislative districts, rejecting a conservative challenge that could have given more clout to white, rural voters.
The eight justices rebuffed a case spearheaded by a conservative legal activist brought against the state of Texas over the manner in which it carved out voting districts for its state Senate, based on a count of every resident rather than just eligible voters. Continue reading “Supreme Court rejects conservative challenge in voting rights case”
A massive, anonymous leak of financial documents from a Panamanian law firm has revealed an extensive worldwide network of offshore “shell” companies — including ones with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin — that allow the wealthy to hide their assets from taxes and, in some cases, to launder billions in cash, a German newspaper alleges.
The documents, combed through in the past year by dozens of journalists worldwide, show links to 72 current or former heads of state, including dictators accused oflooting their own countries. Continue reading “Massive leak reveals money rings of global leaders”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge has refused to let a nationally known conservative lawyer join Cliven Bundy’s defense team because of ongoing disciplinary proceedings against him in Washington, D.C.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1Vk90wP ) that U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro wrote in a three-page order that she didn’t think Larry Klayman has been candid about the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings. Continue reading “Judge bans conservative lawyer from joining Bundy defense”
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A Chicago doctor and a member of her staff have been charged with falsifying medical documents to help applicants bypass U.S. citizenship tests, prosecutors said on Friday.
Dr. Jasminka Kostic, 59, and Nikki Pozdol, 47, who works in the billing department at Kostic’s office, were each charged with one count of knowingly making false statements in a document submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said. Continue reading “Chicago doctor charged with making false diagnosis to help illegal immigrants”
Voice of America – by Pamela Dockins
WASHINGTON— U.S. President Barack Obama said in his weekly Saturday address “no terrorist group has yet succeeded in obtaining a nuclear device or producing a dirty bomb using radioactive materials,” but al-Qaida has tried.
The president delivered his address from the Nuclear Security Summit where world leaders gathered to discuss what Obama described as “one of the greatest threats to global security – terrorists getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction.” Continue reading “Obama Warns of Nuclear Terrorism Threat”
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a proposal to expand a telephone subsidy for low-income Americans to include Internet access, after a deal to cap the cost of the plan collapsed.
The commission voted 3-2 to approve a proposal by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, unveiled earlier this month, to expand the $9.25 monthly mobile phone subsidy to include broadband Internet access. The agency’s three Democrats voted yea and its two Republicans nay. Continue reading “FCC Approves Plan to Expand Low-Income Subsidy to Internet Use”
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a controversial immigration bill that would require some undocumented immigrants who are convicted of crimes to serve 85% of the jail time meted out before they are deported. The proposal is the first in a series of Republican immigration proposals introduced this session.
According to The Associated Press, the new measure is a tame version of a similar bill supported by anti-illegal immigration Republicans that has lost traction. House Bill 2451 would require undocumented immigrants who are imprisoned to serve 85% of their sentences before being released to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Continue reading “Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signs controversial immigration bill”
Kids in a northern Virginia public school district unknowingly rode a school bus this week that was also carrying “explosives training materials” left behind by the CIA after it conducted exercises with local law enforcement agencies, officials acknowledged Thursday.
The materials were packed in a container and placed in the engine compartment of a bus at Briar Woods High School in Loudoun County on March 24, officials said. It was discovered nearly a week later during a maintenance check of the bus – which by then had carried dozens of kids, including elementary school students, for at least two days. Continue reading “Feds left ‘explosives’ material aboard school bus after training exercises, parents told”
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HARRISBURG (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has won a case in Pennsylvania’s highest court that had challenged his eligibility to appear on the state’s GOP primary ballot and serve as president.
The state Supreme Court order Thursday upheld a lower-court judge’s decision to dismiss the case.
Continue reading “Ted Cruz wins citizenship case in Pennsylvania; stays on primary election ballot”
Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it’s turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop — the drought-stricken American Southwest.
Almarai Co. bought land in January that roughly doubled its holdings in California’s Palo Verde Valley, an area that enjoys first dibs on water from the Colorado River. The company also acquired a large tract near Vicksburg, Arizona, becoming a powerful economic force in a region that has fewer well-pumping restrictions than other parts of the state. Continue reading “Saudi Land Purchases Fuel Debate Over US Water Rights”
Tech Crunch – by Devin Coldewey
The FBI, which just a few days ago was attempting to convince the country of its helplessness in the face of encrypted iPhones, has generously offered its assistance in unlocking an iPhone and iPod for a prosecutor in Arkansas, the Associated Press reports.
TechCrunch has contacted the prosecutor’s office for details, which for the moment are thin on the ground — but the timing seems unlikely to be a coincidence. It was only Monday that the FBI announced it had successfully accessed a phone after saying for months that it couldn’t possibly do so — and that Apple was endangering national security by refusing to help. Continue reading “Sure, why not? FBI agrees to unlock iPhone for Arkansas prosecutor”
At least 15 people were killed and another 150 believed trapped when a portion of an overpass under construction collapsed in a congested area in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday, police and officials said.
Army troops joined efforts to rescue those trapped inside cars, trucks and other vehicles that lay under massive concrete blocks and metal debris. Witnesses said that emergency personnel were attempting to use their bare hands to rescue those caught under the wreckage. Continue reading “At least 15 reported killed, 150 believed trapped after overpass collapses in India”
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A lawyer who represented the so-called “D.C. madam” says he has phone records that could influence the outcome of the presidential election, and he’s threatening to release one or more names on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court if he’s denied a hearing on his right to distribute them.
Montgomery Blair Sibley, the late madam Deborah Palfrey’s colorful attorney, has been subject to a restraining order since 2007 barring him from releasing the information, which he says includes 815 names, addresses and Social Security numbers of Verizon Wireless customers. Continue reading “D.C. Madam’s Attorney Says Call Log Bombshell Could Upend 2016 Race”
The family of a 19-year-old man who was fatally shot by a South Carolina police officer last year has settled its wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seneca for $2.15 million.
The settlement, nearly 10 times higher than a figure offered last week by city leaders, comes as a federal investigation continues into the officer’s actions. State prosecutors have said they won’t pursue charges of their own. Continue reading “Family Reaches $2.15M Settlement After Fatal Police Shooting”
Donald Trump says he is considering legal action in response to a recent battery charge against campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
“Frankly, this is not a claim that should have been made,” Trump told ABC News’ David Muir on “Good Morning America” this morning. Continue reading “Donald Trump Threatens Legal Action Over Charge Against Campaign Manager”
PHOENIX — A Texas man fatally shot by a Mesa police officer in January was heard begging for his life moments before his death, according to a police report released Tuesday morning.
A witness and a transcription of officer video footage describe Daniel Shaver saying “Please don’t shoot me” and “Please don’t shoot,” just before an officer later identified as Philip “Mitch” Brailsford unloaded his service weapon. Continue reading “Man fatally shot by Ariz. police officer begged for life”
The Justice Department has announced that it is resuming a controversial practice that allows local police departments to funnel a large portion of assets seized from citizens into their own coffers under federal law.
The “Equitable Sharing Program” gives police the option of prosecuting asset forfeiture cases under federal instead of state law. The Justice Department had suspended payments under this program in December, due to budget cuts included in last year’s spending bill. Continue reading “The feds have resumed a controversial program that lets cops take stuff and keep it”
The US Capitol in Washington DC was on lockdown for a second day as authorities responded to a suspicious package, a witness told Reuters.
US Capitol Police initially confirmed that a suspicious item was found, but declined to elaborate. Continue reading “US Capitol on lockdown for 2nd day as authorities investigate suspicious package”