Month: March 2023

A Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to indict Donald Trump — the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. The historic indictment comes in a case centered on $130,000 in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels claimed she slept with the married Trump in 2006, a claim he has denied. Trump had classified his reimbursement of the payout as a legal expense.
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A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s office confirmed the indictment in a statement Thursday night:
“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a [state] Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.” (Supreme Court is the name of New York state’s highest trial court.)”

The indictment is likely to remain sealed until Trump makes an appearance in court, which could happen early next week. District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed in a statement that he is coordinating with Trump’s attorney for his surrender to the DA’s office. Bragg has been investigating the former president for alleged fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Trump, currently a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, will still be eligible to run for president. The former president said in a statement on Truth Social following news of Thursday’s indictment:   “This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your president of the United States, the radical left Democrats — the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this country — have been engaged in a witch hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”

Trump followed the statement with a separate post decrying his treatment by “thugs and radical left monsters,” saying, “THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.”

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Officials confirmed that nine army soldiers were killed after two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with the 101st Airborne Division crashed late Wednesday in southwestern Kentucky. There were no survivors. Officials at nearby Fort Campbell said Thursday that the two helicopters (which were medical evacuation aircrafts) crashed around 10 p.m. in Trigg County near the Tennessee border.  The base said in a statement on Facebook that they were taking part “in a routine training mission when the incident occurred.”

Brig. Gen. John Lubas, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, said during a Thursday morning news conference at Fort Campbell that it’s believed the crash happened while they were flying and not during a medical evacuation drill. The HH-60 Black Hawk is the medical evacuation variant of the helicopter, which can transport a fully equipped 11-person infantry squad. One aircraft had five and the other had four people aboard, which Lubas said is typical and includes the pilot, co-pilot, crew chief and “medics or other personnel.”

The aircraft went down in an open field across from a residential area, so no additional casualties or injuries were reported, he said. According to 101st Airborne Division spokesman Staff Sgt. Joshua Tverberg, the Black Hawks that crashed were two of four total helicopters taking part in the training exercise. One helicopter had stopped to refuel, and another was ahead of the two that went down.

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that he was “saddened by this tragic loss” and was working with the Army to “make sure our troops and their families receive the care that they need in the wake of this accident …My heart goes out to the families of these servicemembers and to the members of the 101st Airborne Division who bravely and proudly serve our country each and every day.”
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during the news conference: “We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days but the weeks and months and years to come.”
• Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said Thursday that it was “a heavy day for the Army … Thank you for your comments and thoughts and prayers for the families of our soldiers who were killed in the crash. Our hearts go out to them.” 
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement on Twitter: “I am devastated to learn about the Army helicopter accident over Kentucky involving our brave 101st Airborne. My team is in contact with the Army and authorities on the ground. Please pray for our service members and their families as we learn more.”

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Russian authorities arrested an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal on Thursday on espionage charges. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement reported by state media that journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of “espionage in the interests of the American government.” He was later taken to the Lefortovo court in Moscow and formally arrested.  The FSB accused Gershkovich of collecting “information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”  An official Telegram channel of the capital’s courts said they quickly ordered Gershkovich’s initial detention until May 29.

Kremlin spokesman Dimtry Peskov said at a news briefing “we are not talking about suspicions, but about the fact that he was detained red-handed,” and added that the arrest was up to the FSB. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Gershkovich had accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist, but was using his journalistic credentials as a cover for “activities that have nothing to do with journalism.”

The 31-year-old Gershkovich, who covers Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union for the WSJ, is the first journalist from an American outlet to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War. According to his author page on The Wall Street Journal’s website, he was previously a reporter for Agence France-Presse and the Moscow Times, and a news assistant at The New York Times. His most recent article was published Tuesday and co-bylined, with the headline: “Russia’s Economy Is Starting to Come Undone.” Gershkovich speaks Russian, and his parents are originally from the former Soviet Union (they now live in the U.S.)

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On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of over-the-counter sales for Narcan, an overdose-reversing nasal spray. The FDA green light marks the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription (only the 4-milligram dose of Narcan has been approved; other formulations, including higher dosages and injectable versions of naloxone, will continue to require a prescription.) Naloxone rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including in situations where fentanyl is involved. According to the FDA, in the 12-month period ending in Oct. 2022, the United States recorded 101,750 overdose deaths, primarily from opioids including fentanyl.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said: “Today’s approval of OTC naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country. We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.”

The decision allows the drug to be made available at drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, and online shops. It’s not immediately clear when Narcan will be available for over-the-counter sale. The FDA said this timeline will be determined by the product’s manufacturer, Emergent BioSolutions, who said it will be available “by the late summer to account for manufacturing changes that will be implemented to support nonprescription packaging, as well as supply chain modifications.”

Emergent BioSolutions CEO Robert G. Kramer said in a statement: “Today’s landmark FDA OTC approval for Narcan nasal spray marks a historic milestone as we have delivered on our commitment to make this important emergency treatment widely accessible, given the alarming rates of opioid overdoses occurring across the country.”

Walgreens spokesperson Zoe Krey said it would offer Narcan later this year in stores and online: “Delivering access to this lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose if administered in time is imperative, and Walgreens is already working with suppliers to bring this OTC medication to shelves.”

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The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Francis has been admitted to a hospital in Rome after complaining of breathing difficulties in recent days, and have cancelled his meetings for the next two days. The Pope had appeared in relatively good form during his scheduled general audience Wednesday, though he noticeably grimaced while getting into and out of the “popemobile.” Francis’ audiences through Friday were canceled, and questions remained about the pope’s ability to participate in the Vatican’s Holy Week activities.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pontiff is being treated at the Gemelli hospital, where Francis underwent surgery in 2021. Bruni said in a statement: “In recent days Pope Francis has complained of some breathing difficulties,” adding that Covid-19 had been ruled out by the tests but the pope would “require a few days of appropriate hospital medical therapy.” Bruni confirmed that testing at the hospital had determined that Pope Francis has a respiratory infection, and concluded:  “Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayers.”

Francis had part of one lung removed when he was a young man due to a respiratory infection; and he spent 10 days at the Gemelli hospital following the 2021 surgery for an intestinal narrowing, which included the removal of 13 inches of his colon.  He had also been using a wheelchair for over a year due to strained ligaments in his right knee and a small knee fracture. The Pope has said he resisted having surgery for the knee problems because he didn’t respond well to the general anesthesia during the 2021 intestinal surgery; but. now has said the knee injury was healing and he has been shown walking more with a cane of late.

Francis is due to celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend, kicking off the Vatican’s Holy Week observances: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and finally Easter Sunday on April 9.

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A Maryland appeals court has reinstated the murder conviction against Adnan Syed, roughly six months after Baltimore prosecutors provided new evidence in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, due to a lower court’s violation of the victim’s family right to attend the hearing to vacate the conviction.

The 41-year-old Syed, whose conviction was made famous by the podcast “Serial,” had his conviction tossed out by a circuit court and the state’s attorney’s office. He had been serving a life sentence for the past 23 years — more than half his life — since his arrest in 1999.

Syed was released from prison in October after Baltimore City State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said DNA evidence supported his Syed’s innocence. Lee’s family filed an appeal, arguing that they were not properly notified of the efforts to release Syed, and the Maryland appeals court ruled in their favor, stating that officials failed to provide sufficient notice for Lee’s family to attend the hearing.

Tuesday’s decision is seen as a procedural issue, and there is no reason to believe Syed will be sent back to prison. A new hearing will be held regarding the evidence to vacate Syed’s conviction, but the previous murder charges have been reinstated in the interim. The prosecutor has indicated that there is evidence pointing to other suspects and that the investigation is ongoing.

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