Trump White House lawyers arrive for Jan. 6 grand jury
The White House counsel under then-President Donald Trump and his top deputy have arrived at a federal courthouse to appear before a federal grand jury investigating efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election. Pat Cipollone was the top White House lawyer at the end of the Trump administration as Trump and outside allies pressed for ways to overturn the Republican’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Cipollone vigorously resisted efforts to undo the election. Cipollone and his top deputy, Patrick Philbin, also have cooperated with a separate House investigation into Jan. 6, 2021.
Judge tosses manslaughter charge in boat fire that killed 34
A federal judge has thrown out an indictment charging a boat captain with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 scuba divers three years ago off the California coast. Judge George Wu ruled Friday that the indictment charging the captain with seaman’s manslaughter failed to allege that Jerry Boylan acted with gross negligence. Federal prosecutors argued that the law only requires proving simple negligence. Prosecutors say Boylan failed to post a watch on the dive boat Conception in September 2019 when a nighttime fire led to one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles says prosecutors will seek approval from the Department of Justice to appeal the ruling.
Biden, remaking climate team, picks Podesta to guide spending
President Joe Biden on Friday appointed John Podesta, a veteran Washington insider who spearheaded the Obama administration’s climate strategy, to oversee the federal investment of $370 billion in clean energy under a landmark new climate law. As a senior adviser to Biden on clean energy innovation, Podesta will shape how the government disburses billions of dollars in tax credits and incentives to industries that are developing wind and solar energy, as well as to consumers who want to install solar panels, heat and cool their homes with electric heat pumps, or buy electric vehicles.
Eight migrants drown as dozens are swept down Rio Grande
Eight migrants drowned and 37 others were rescued as they tried to cross the raging waters of the Rio Grande to reach the United States, administration officials said Friday. The migrants were among scores of people crossing the river near Eagle Pass, a town in southern Texas that has become a major entry point for migrants in the last year. Rick Pauza, spokesperson for the Customs and Border Protection office in Laredo, Texas, said in a statement that authorities were continuing with the aid of the local fire department and sheriff’s office to search for possible survivors.
Against fierce resistance, Ukraine makes small gains in the south
After weeks of pounding Russian supply lines and logistical hubs, the Ukrainian military pushed forward this week with its southern counteroffensive, breaking through some front-line defenses to retake several small villages and signaling its ability to strike a larger force that has spent months preparing for such an attack. But the fighting has been tough against an enemy battling to hold onto territory it has controlled since the first days of the war, which started in late February. Russian troops have heavily mined the fields and approaches around their own defensive earthworks, hampering a swift Ukrainian advance, Ukrainian and American officials said.
UN nuclear watchdog says shelling at Ukrainian plant still poses a grave risk
The gravest risk to the embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is damage to equipment from shelling that could lead to a release of radiation, the director of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency said Friday after a site visit. Other risks abound, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Vienna, a day after inspecting the nuclear station. The plant has been repeatedly hit by artillery. Loss of external power to cool reactor cores and stress on the operating staff also pose dangers, he said, adding that two U.N. experts would remain at the plant to provide independent assessments of its safety.
Beijing taps into anti-West resentment to counter UN report
After a new U.N. report concluded that China’s crackdown in its far-west Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity, China is using a well-worn tactic to deflect criticism: blame a Western conspiracy. At home, it’s found a willing audience. But abroad, it’s angered Uyghurs and alienated foreigners. The result has been a splintering of views on Xinjiang in China and the West, a gap that threatens to fracture already-poor relations. With independent information censored, the authorities have been largely successful in shaping the narrative within China’s borders, and many Chinese now wonder what all the fuss about Xinjiang is about.
By wire sources
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