Justice Dept. issues 40 subpoenas in a week, expanding its Jan. 6 inquiry
Justice Department officials have seized the phones of two top advisers to former President Donald Trump and blanketed his aides with about 40 subpoenas in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, people familiar with the inquiry said Monday. The seizure of the phones, coupled with a widening effort to obtain information from those around Trump after the 2020 election, represent some of the most aggressive steps the department has taken in its criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Biden picks Biotech executive to lead new biomedical research agency
President Joe Biden, sketching out a vision for “bold approaches” to fighting cancer and other diseases, announced Monday that he had selected Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, a Boston biotech executive with government experience, as the director of a new federal agency aimed at pursuing far-reaching ideas that will drive biomedical innovation. Biden made the announcement at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, on the 60th anniversary of the former president’s “moonshot” speech that ushered in an era of space travel. He used the occasion to reiterate his call to “end cancer as we know it.”
Exxon Valdez Capt. Joseph Hazelwood dies at 75
Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Exxon Valdez that grounded on Alaska’s Bligh Reef in 1989, causing one of the nation’s worst oil spills, has died. A nephew, Sam Hazelwood, confirmed to The New York Times that Joseph Hazelwood died at age 75 in July after struggling with COVID-19 and cancer. Hazelwood was accused of drinking before the ship left Valdez, Alaska, but witnesses at his trial disputed that he was drunk. He handed control of the ship off to a third mate and was below deck when the tanker grounded. He was the lone person criminally charged but was only convicted of a misdemeanor.
Bezos rocket crashes after liftoff, only experiments aboard
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket blasted off from West Texas on Monday. Barely a minute into the flight, bright yellow flames shot out from around the single engine. The capsule’s emergency launch abort system immediately kicked in, lifting the craft off the top. Several minutes later, the capsule parachuted onto the remote desert floor, but the rocket crashed back to Earth. The rocket is the same kind Blue Origin uses to send paying customers on short rides to the edge of space. The rocket is now grounded, pending a federal investigation.
Oppressive blackouts force Lebanese to change rhythm of life
Lebanon’s electricity crisis is a subset of a broader economic crisis, its worst in decades and one that the World Bank said could rank among the world’s three worst since the mid-1800s in terms of its effect on living standards. Power cuts have long stemmed from a dysfunctional electricity sector. But over the past year, they have worsened with acute fuel shortages leading to severe blackouts across Lebanon and state-supplied power coming on for only an hour or two a day and on no set schedule. Often, that hour or two come unpredictably in the middle of the night, and the rhythm of life has been forced to adapt.
Queen hailed in Scotland as a ‘constant in all our lives’
As Queen Elizabeth II’s four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital to St. Giles’ Cathedral. There, a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a “constant in all of our lives for over 70 years.” Crowds lined the street for the solemn procession, just as they did a day earlier when the queen’s coffin was slowly driven down from Balmoral Castle. King Charles III, dressed in an army uniform, was accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The coffin will remain at the cathedral until Tuesday so the public in Scotland can pay their respects to Elizabeth, who died last week at 96.
Russia’s war in Ukraine the backdrop to pope’s Kazakh visit
Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Holy See’s strained relations with China are the backdrop to Pope Francis’ visit to Kazakhstan. Francis was flying Tuesday to the Kazakh capital to meet with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He also will be ministering to a tiny Catholic community and participating in an interfaith conference during his three-day visit. Another noteworthy aspect of his visit will be the missed opportunity: Francis was supposed to have met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on the sidelines of the conference. But Patriarch Kirill, who has justified the war in Ukraine, cancelled his trip last month.
Repeat Emmys go to Zendaya, Sudeikis, ‘Lasso,’ ‘Succession’
The Emmy Awards have spread honors around repeat winners – Zendaya, Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart – and some first timers, like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary.” Zendaya and Sudeikis won their second acting Emmys Monday, while Smart won back-to-back trophies for “Hacks.” So did Sudeikis’ comedy “Ted Lasso,” which claimed the top comedy prize and “Succession,” which took home the top drama honor. Ralph gave a rousing speech after winning supporting comedy actress on her first nomination. Brunson, who created “Abbott Elementary” also took home a trophy, with the best comedy series still to come. Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game” won best drama actor.
By wire sources
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