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Far-right activist Ammon Bundy's latest standoff is in court
Read full article: Far-right activist Ammon Bundy's latest standoff is in courtA far-right activist best known for his showdowns with federal law enforcement in Oregon and Nevada is now waging a one-sided standoff of a different kind in Idaho.
GOP firebrand Michele Fiore enters Nevada governor's race
Read full article: GOP firebrand Michele Fiore enters Nevada governor's raceA Las Vegas city councilwoman who gained national attention for her support of anti-government militia members who clashed with federal law officers during armed standoffs last decade is running for governor of Nevada.
Mainstream Republicans seek to 'rescue' Idaho - from the GOP
Read full article: Mainstream Republicans seek to 'rescue' Idaho - from the GOPMainstream Idaho Republicans concerned about a takeover by the surging far-right wing of the party are asking Democrats, Independents or other affiliated voters to register as Republicans to vote in the party’s May primary.
Mix of extremists who stormed Capitol isn't retreating
Read full article: Mix of extremists who stormed Capitol isn't retreatingMilitia members, white supremacists, paramilitary organizations and fervent supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stood shoulder to shoulder, unified in rage. I’m afraid that we’re going to have to be prepared for some worst-case scenarios for a while," said Amy Cooter, a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University who studies U.S. militia groups. To understand the mix of extremists in the Capitol melee, it helps to look at history. Much of the modern militia movement was a reaction to the push for tougher gun control laws in the 1990s. Meanwhile, America’s white supremacy movement -- as old as the country itself and energized by the civil rights movement of the 1960s -- used every opportunity to stoke racism and increase recruitment.
A look at Trump’s pardons, including a South Florida exec guilty of fraud
Read full article: A look at Trump’s pardons, including a South Florida exec guilty of fraudOn Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned 15 people, including Collins. Papadopoulos was the first Trump aide to plead guilty as part of Mueller’s investigation – pleading guilty to lying to the FBI – and served a nearly two-week sentence in federal prison. The White House said Stockman had contracted coronavirus while in federal prison and has served more than two years of his 10-year sentence. Esformes’ prison sentence was commuted by the president on Tuesday, but other aspects of his sentence, including supervised release and millions in restitution, remained intact. The White House said the commutation was supported by a number of former attorneys general and said Esformes is in declining health.
New round of Trump clemency benefits Manafort, Stone, other allies
Read full article: New round of Trump clemency benefits Manafort, Stone, other alliesThe pardons Wednesday of Manafort and Roger Stone, who months earlier had his sentence commuted by Trump, were particularly notable, underscoring the president's desire to chip away at the results and legacy of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Mueller's mandate — whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election — he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation. Manafort, in a series of tweets, thanked Trump and lavished praise on the outgoing president, declaring that history would show he had accomplished more than any of his predecessors. Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009. Trump’s legally troubled allies were not the only recipients of clemency.
A look at pardons, clemency in waning weeks of Trump tenure
Read full article: A look at pardons, clemency in waning weeks of Trump tenureOn Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned 15 people, including Collins. Papadopoulos was the first Trump aide to plead guilty as part of Mueller’s investigation – pleading guilty to lying to the FBI – and served a nearly two-week sentence in federal prison. The White House said Stockman had contracted coronavirus while in federal prison and has served more than two years of his 10-year sentence. Esformes’ prison sentence was commuted by the president on Tuesday, but other aspects of his sentence, including supervised release and millions in restitution, remained intact. The White House said the commutation was supported by a number of former attorneys general and said Esformes is in declining health.
Public lands chief hangs on despite nomination getting nixed
Read full article: Public lands chief hangs on despite nomination getting nixedThat's not how it works," Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said of the May order in an interview. Prior to joining the Trump administration, he had called for the government to sell its public lands. Interior Department spokesperson Conner Swanson confirmed that the arrangement outlined in Pendley's order means he will continue to lead the bureau. After joining the government, he declared that his past support for selling public lands was irrelevant because his boss, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, opposes the wholesale sale of public lands. Under Trump, the land bureau has sought to scale back some protections for public lands, including proposals to ease restrictions on oil and gas exploration, mining and grazing.
Trump to withdraw Pendley's nomination as public lands chief
Read full article: Trump to withdraw Pendley's nomination as public lands chiefDemocrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Trump announced Pendley's nomination to become the bureau's director in June. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination. William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands and has no business being in charge of them.The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nations onshore oil and gas development. The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil and gas drilling that were adopted under the Obama administration.
2 standoffs in Oregon show differing views of US response
Read full article: 2 standoffs in Oregon show differing views of US responseState leaders are imploring federal forces to leave the progressive city, saying they're escalating a volatile situation. Parker was charged with pointing a semi-automatic rifle at armed federal agents but ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Kate Brown has compared the presence of federal agents at the Portland protests to pouring gasoline on a fire. The idea that now federal agents are storm-troopers of death I find quite hypocritical." They surrendered as federal agents moved in Feb. 10.