Trump pardoned rapper Lil Wayne and commuted the sentence of Detroit’s former-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, but NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange failed to make the list.
President Donald Trump granted pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentences of 70 people on his last day in office Wednesday. Many of the pardons and commutations on his list were sought by criminal justice reform advocates, and included people serving long sentences for low-level offenses.
Trump pardoned Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., better known as rapper Lil Wayne, and Bill K. Kapri, also known as rapper Kodak Black.
Carter “pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, owing to a conviction over 10 years ago,” the White House said. Deion Sanders, who wrote in support of this pardon, calls Mr. Wayne “a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker, [and] a game changer.” …
After failing to secure a pardon from Trump, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange remains in peril of extradition and trial in the U.S.
On Monday night’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Pamela Anderson pleaded with President Trump to show his commitment to free speech by granting Assange a pardon before leaving office.
It was well known that President Trump planned to issue between 50 and 100 commutations and pardons before the end of his term. However, sources told Fox News that Julian Assange was not expected to make the list.
Anderson said the pardon decision represented a “defining moment for the president.” …
After enduring chemical attacks and assassination attempts, Navalny now faces a prison sentence human rights watchdogs insist is politically motivated.
The United States, the European Union and human rights groups have called for the immediate release of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny after he was ordered to remain in custody for 30 days, less than 24 hours after he returned to Moscow from Germany.
Minutes after he and his wife arrived in Moscow, Navalny was detained by officers and held overnight in a police station in the city of Khimki. U.S. …
Will 2021 be the year our lawmakers make the connection and deliver on meaningful criminal justice reform?
The Future Legacy
Like the great social, cultural, and religious reformer for whom he was named, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. set in motion a profound transformation which continues grow with the passage of time.
While the impact of MLK was certainly felt during his too-short lifetime, as he led and inspired millions to fight for civil rights, the true legacy of the man, and of his life’s work, resonates more and more loudly with each passing era.
Like all great reformers and revolutionaries, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who knew only too well that he was planting a tree under which he might never sit. It takes that special kind of person, the true visionary, to undertake a great work knowing they won’t be the one to finish it. …
Trump is the first U.S. President in history to be impeached twice. He may also become the first to face impeachment proceedings after leaving office.
The House of Representatives voted 232–197 to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time in just over a year, making Trump the first in U.S. President in history to be impeached twice.
There have been noticeably mixed responses from Republicans on the plausibility of the accusations levied against the president. Unlike the first impeachment, ten House Republicans broke with their party and voted for impeachment.
The impeachment article states, “Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States.” …
John Sullivan will face federal charges as part of an ongoing investigation.
A well-known, left-wing Utah activist has been arrested for “inciting violence” during the recent riot which took place at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
John Sullivan, a professional activist and protest agitator from Utah was arrested on Thursday on federal charges that he played a dangerous part in the riot at the Capitol last week.
Sullivan was charged in a criminal complaint with one felony count of interfering with law enforcement in connection with a civil disorder, one count of unlawful entry and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. …
The House of Representatives voted 232–197 to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time in just over a year.
The historic house vote included one article of impeachment against the President for allegedly inciting violence prior to last week’s riots in the U.S. Capitol in which five people died, including a Capitol Police Officer.
This vote makes President Trump the first president to be impeached twice.
Unlike the first impeachment, ten House Republicans broke rank with their party and voted in favor of impeachment. These Republicans are Rep. Liz Cheney (WY), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beuter (WA), Rep. John Katko (NY), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL), Rep. Fred Upton (MI), Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA), Rep. Peter Meijer (MI), Rep.mAnthony Gonzalez (OH), Rep. Tom Rice (SC) and Rep. …
Though none of the Republicans in question have yet been diagnosed with Covid-19, Jayapal and several other Democrats insist they are to blame.
Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, and Brad Schneider of Illinois have all claimed that unmasked Republican legislators infected them with COVID-19 last week during the Capitol riot.
Though there has been as yet no evidence to back up this claim, and although many lawmakers, including Republicans, have now been vaccinated against Covid-19 and all participate in contact tracing, it has been amplified by the press nevertheless.
Rep. Jayapal wrote a statement on Twitter which read, “I just received a positive COVID-19 test result after being locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.” …
“Al-Qaeda has a new home base: It is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” announced U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, current U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly charged Iran’s government with aiding and abetting al Qaeda, and allowing the terrorist organization to establish a “home base” in Iran.
“Since 2015, Iran has also given al Qaeda leaders greater freedom of movement inside of Iran under their supervision,” Pompeo said in a speech at the National Press Club.
“As a result of this assistance, al Qaeda has centralized its leadership inside of Iran. …
New York real estate brokers like Michelle Sysak prepare for a busy year of helping families navigate home-buying during Covid.
Over the past year, there has been a seismic shift in daily life for American families, many of whom are still struggling with the loss of loved ones and crippling financial burdens.
In the midst of the upheaval of Covid-19, even faced with lock-down orders and restrictions, Americans are still looking for, buying, and selling homes.
While buying a home is already one of the largest investments in people’s lives, historic unemployment, a pandemic, and fears of a recession have made these times even more difficult to navigate. …
