Jury is chosen in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms case and opening statements are set for Tuesday
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The jury has been seated in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms case. Twelve panelists and four alternates were chosen after one day of jury selection. Opening statements will begin Tuesday. The president’s son has been charged with lying on federal gun purchase forms when he said he wasn’t a drug addict. He has pleaded not guilty and argues he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. Prospective jurors are being asked about their knowledge of the case, their thoughts about gun ownership and whether they or anyone close to them have struggled with substance abuse or addiction or ever owned a gun.
Biden prepares an order that would shut down asylum if a daily average of 2,500 migrants arrive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down entries to the U.S.-Mexico border once the number of daily encounters hits 2,500 at ports of entry. The impact of the 2,500 figure means the border could be closed to migrants seeking asylum effectively immediately, because daily figures are higher than that now. Several people familiar with the discussions said Monday the border would reopen once that number declines to 1,500. Biden is expected to unveil his actions at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited.
How Trump’s deny-everything strategy could hurt him at sentencing
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has had plenty to say since his hush money trial conviction last week. What he hasn’t done is utter any variation of the words that might benefit him most come sentencing time next month: “I’m sorry.” It’s an age-old truism of the criminal justice system that defendants hoping for lenient treatment at sentencing are expected to take responsibility for their actions, even express remorse. But that approach flies in the face of the “deny everything” strategy that Trump and his legal team employed at trial — and the combative posture the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has adopted during years of investigations into his business career, presidential activities and post-White House life.
Fauci pushes back partisan attacks in fiery House hearing over COVID origins and controversies
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci was back before Congress, calling Republican allegations that he’d tried to cover up COVID-19’s origins “simply preposterous.” The top U.S. infectious disease expert until 2022, Fauci was grilled by the House panel behind closed doors in January. On Monday, they questioned him again, in public and on camera. The Republican-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started. Democrats said the investigation has found no evidence that Fauci did anything wrong.
With its top editor abruptly gone, The Washington Post grapples with a hastily announced restructure
NEW YORK (AP) — One of the nation’s top news organizations was in some turmoil following a hastily-announced restructuring plan that led to the exodus of the newspaper’s executive editor. Sally Buzbee’s temporary replacement met with staff members the day after a late-night email announcing the plan went out. Under new publisher Will Lewis, the money-losing newspaper is trying to halt an exodus of readers, and is setting up a new department primarily designed to think of ways to bring more people back. Buzbee had been in the job for only three years during tough economic times for the news business. She reportedly had concerns about how the new structure would work.
Louisiana lawmakers approve surgical castration option for those guilty of sex crimes against kids
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would allow judges the option to order someone to undergo surgical castration when the person is convicted of a sex crime against a child younger than 13. Several states, including Louisiana, currently can order such criminals to receive chemical castration, which uses medications that block testosterone production in order to decrease sex drive. However, surgical castration is a more invasive procedure. The bill approved Monday now heads to the desk of conservative Gov. Jeff Landry. The sponsor of the bill hopes the legislation will serve as a deterrent to such crimes against children.
Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she’ll acquit
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A juror was dismissed from a multimillion-dollar fraud trial on Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 cash at her home over the weekend. She said the woman left it with a message saying she would get still more money if she voted to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. These seven are the first of 70 defendants expected to be tried in a conspiracy that cost taxpayers $250 million. It’s one of the nation’s largest pandemic-related fraud cases. Prosecutor Joseph Thompson said the bag of cash seems like “stuff that happens in mob movies.” The jury will now be sequestered.
Biden says Hamas is sufficiently depleted. Israel leaders disagree, casting doubts over cease-fire
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Joe Biden has called for a quick cease-fire and end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, saying the militant group is no longer capable of launching an attack on Israel like the one on Oct. 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right ministers disagree, saying that destroying Hamas will require continued Israeli military operations in the strip. These differing visions of what it looks like to destroy Hamas have raised questions about a new cease-fire effort and threaten to exacerbate already-strained tensions between the close allies.
Proposed Gaza cease-fire puts Netanyahu at a crossroads that could shape his legacy
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden has placed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a crossroads. Either path would likely reshape the legacy of Israel’s longest-serving and deeply divisive leader. The proposal offers the possibility of ending the war and returning scores of hostages held by Hamas. But it would also likely shatter Netanyahu’s governing coalition, potentially sending him into the opposition. The full withdrawal of Israeli forces called for in the proposal could allow Hamas to claim victory and reconstitute itself. Rejection of the deal, on the other hand, could deepen Israel’s international isolation, worsen ties with the United States and expose Netanyahu to accusations of having abandoned the hostages.
Market jitters follow election of first woman as Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s first female president held out an olive branch to the more than one-third of Mexicans who didn’t vote for her, but she faces a market meltdown and a tough path toward reconciling a country left deeply divided by outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor, said “our duty will always be to look out for each and every Mexican, without distinctions.” Long-delayed initial vote counts gave her a crushing margin of victory, higher even than the one López Obrador won in 2018. With about 78% of votes counted, Sheinbaum was getting about 59% of votes, about twice as many as her nearest competitor Xóchitl Gálvez, who got around 28%.
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