Miami — Two South Florida shark divers convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a fisherman’s longline several miles from shore have been pardoned by President Trump. Pardons for Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr. were signed Wednesday. They had been convicted in 2022 of …
Read More »Army document outlines plans for expelling transgender troops from military
Washington — Transgender military service members must come forward and voluntarily leave active-duty service next week, by June 6, according to Defense Department guidance issued by Secretary Pete Hegseth. After that, the military is expected to begin involuntary separations for active-duty trans service members who remain. One of the service branches, the …
Read More »Garland denies whistleblower claim that Justice Department interfered in Hunter Biden probe
Washington — Attorney General Merrick Garland refuted allegations made by two IRS whistleblowers who said the Justice Department hampered a tax investigation into Hunter Biden, and rejected a claim that he was asked to grant special counsel authority to the prosecutor in charge of the case. On Thursday, the Republican-led …
Read More »Texas lawmakers recommend impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton teetered on the brink of impeachment Thursday after years of scandal, criminal charges and corruption accusations that the state’s Republican majority had largely met with silence until now. In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee that spent months quietly looking into Paxton recommended …
Read More »Mentally ill man who allegedly attacked Rep. Gerry Connolly’s staff has violent history, police say
Authorities said that a mentally ill man who attacked Rep. Gerry Connolly’s district office — shattering windows and striking two women, one of whom was an intern — first chased and threatened a woman with a metal baseball bat in a northern Virginia neighborhood. Connolly’s staff managed to shelter in …
Read More »Jury finds Andrew Gillum not guilty of lying to FBI, deadlocks on other charges
A federal jury on Thursday found Andrew Gillum, a former Democratic nominee for governor of Florida and ex-mayor of Tallahassee, not guilty of lying to the FBI while deadlocking on 18 other counts, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial on those charges, attorneys said. The single verdict came after …
Read More »Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland won’t run for reelection
Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland won’t seek reelection in 2024, opening a rare U.S. Senate seat in the state that neighbors Washington, D.C. “I am proud of all I have done for Maryland,” Cardin said in a statement. “I have given my heart and soul to our great state, …
Read More »What’s in House Republicans’ bill to lift the debt ceiling and cut spending?
Washington — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled their plan to raise the debt ceiling and cut government spending ahead of the looming summer deadline to avert a catastrophic and historic default by the U.S. on its debt obligations. Called the “Limit, Save, Grow Act,” the …
Read More »Tennessee move to cut Nashville council in half blocked by judges
The Democratic-leaning city of Nashville’s Metropolitan Council will get to keep all 40 of its seats for now, under a temporary decision issued Monday by three state judges. The ruling stymies an effort by state Republican lawmakers to cut the council in half after it blocked the the 2024 Republican …
Read More »Brandon Johnson wins closely contested Chicago mayor’s race
Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected Chicago mayor on Tuesday, a major victory for the party’s progressive wing as the nation’s third-largest city grapples with high crime and financial challenges. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over …
Read More »