Tennessee Bill Enabling Adult Sentences for Teenage Criminals Awaits Signature from Gov. Bill Lee

Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that will allow for “blended sentences” of minors who were aged at least 16 when committing a crime, meaning some juvenile offenders will receive adult sentences for their crimes.

The Tennessee Senate on Thursday passed SB 624, sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), after the Senate version of the bill was adopted in the Tennessee State House. It now awaits a signature from Governor Bill Lee.

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Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor Launches RICO Lawsuit Against Fani Willis, Fulton County Officials

Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor

Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor (R-Atlanta) confirmed on Friday she filed a lawsuit against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and other officials over an alleged failure to correctly prosecute a man she claims stalked and violently assaulted her.

In addition to Willis, the lawsuit by Mainor names the district attorney’s office, Fulton County, the Fulton County Ethics Board and Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington as defendants.

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Protesters Brought Children to ‘Gaza Liberation Encampment’ at Virginia Tech Prior to Arrests, Video Shows

Virginia Tech pro-Palestine protest

Activists who participated in the “Gaza Liberation Encampment” at Virginia Tech brought children to the ill-fated protest before dozens of protesters were arrested by police, suggests video posted to social media on Sunday. 

One video that surfaced on the social media platform X on Sunday after police ordered protesters to leave the encampment included a child who led the protesters in a chant. The video was captioned to ask police whether they are scared by children.

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Commentary: The Travesties of the Trump Trials

Do not believe the White House/mainstream media-concocted narrative that the four criminal court cases—prosecuted by Alvin Bragg, Letitia James, Jack Smith, and Fani Willis—were not in part coordinated, synchronized, and timed to reach their courtroom psychodramatic finales right during the 2024 campaign season.

These local, state, and federal Lilliputian agendas were designed to tie down, gag, confine, bankrupt, and destroy Trump psychologically and physically. They are the final lawfare denouement to years of extra-legal efforts to emasculate him.

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Fani Willis No-Shows Debate to Host ‘Self Care Fair’ Amid Legal, Ethical Scrutiny

Fani Willis at Self Care event

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opted to skip her first debate Sunday ahead of early voting in the Democratic primary to instead host a “self-care fair” for crime victims, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Willis’ absence left her Democratic challenger, Christian Wise Smith, debating an empty podium, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Willis, who appointed her romantic partner Nathan Wade to work on the case against former President Donald Trump and allowed him to pay for vacations they took together, was sharply criticized by Judge Scott McAfee in a March decision that did not grant defendants’ request to disqualify Willis but did require Wade to step down.

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Police Clear Encampment at Major University After Protesters Shout ‘Kill the Jews’

Northeastern University encampment

Law enforcement began clearing a pro-Palestine encampment of protesters on a major university’s campus Saturday morning after some demonstrators apparently chanted “kill the Jews.”

The Northeastern University campus police and officers from other departments moved in to break up the encampment in Boston after the demonstration was “infiltrated” by outside protesters, the university said in a Saturday post to X. Some demonstrators apparently chanted “kill the Jews” and used other antisemitic slurs on Friday night, according to the university.

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White High School Principal Framed by Black Colleague with A.I.-Generated Racist Comments

Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert

A white Baltimore County Public Schools principal accused earlier this year of denigrating black students and Jewish families is now in the clear. After a months-long investigation, it was revealed that Pikesville High School Athletic Director Dazhon Darien, who’s black, had used an AI-generated voice of the principal, Eric Eiswert, making the (bogus) remarks. According to WBAL-11, law enforcement believes Darien made the recording in retaliation for Eiswert looking into his “potential mishandling” of school funds. In January when the recording hit the news and social media, Superintendent Myriam Rogers said it was “deeply disturbing” and added the district would “not tolerate disparaging remarks about any member of the Team BCPS community.” Rogers noted at the time the district could not “confirm the veracity” of the recording but was working to do so. Eiswert was temporarily suspended, and the school was subjected to numerous “many hate-filled messages.” Commenters on X, formerly Twitter, had demanded Eiswert’s dismissal. Posts said the principal “should’ve been let go on the spot,” “he better be gone soon,” and “no way any parent or teacher can have any confidence in him from here on out. He will resign or be canned.” However, at least one commenter was prescient.…

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Shelby County Commissioner Demands Resignation of Judge Bill Anderson, Who Detests ‘Bail Bond System in Tennessee’

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright, Judge Bob Anderson

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright on Friday called for the resignation of General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson, who leads the county magistrates that determine possible bail assignments after suspected criminals are arrested.

Wright said he is calling for Anderson’s resignation in remarks to WREG, pointing to soft bail policies from Anderson’s office as a source of Memphis’ crime.

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Youngkin Vows to Protect Free Speech on Virginia College Campuses While Protecting Jewish Students from ‘Hate Speech and Intimidation’

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin in a Sunday appearance on CNN pledged to protect the First Amendment on Virginia’s college campuses, but also vowed to keep Jewish students safe from “hate speech and intimidation” from anti-Israel protesters.

The governor stated during an appearance with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union that his administration will allow protesters to peacefully demonstrate against Israel while preventing the establishment of anti-Israel encampments and protecting the rights of Jewish students.

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Arizona State University Confirms Students Among 72 Arrested at Anti-Israel Encampment on Tempe Campus

ASU protesters

Arizona State University (ASU) confirmed on Saturday a number of its students were among the 72 protesters arrested for the creation of an anti-Israel encampment on the school’s Tempe campus.

A university statement declared, “ASU Police arrested 72 people for trespassing after they set up an unauthorized encampment Friday,” noting that such encampments are not allowed on the institution’s property.

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Wildlife Groups Threaten Feds with Lawsuit over Wolf Protections

Gray Wolfs

by Chris Woodward   A coalition of animal welfare and wildlife advocacy groups plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over gray wolf protections, pointing to the killing of a wolf in Wyoming as an example of why the species needs more protection. In 2021, the USFWS said relisting “may be warranted,” but a final decision in February declined to relist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act in the northern Rocky Mountain states, where they are regulated at the state level. Animal Wellness Action, Center for a Humane Economy, Footloose Montana, and other groups pointed to an incident in Wyoming where a man captured and tortured a gray wolf before killing it, as reported by Cowboy State Daily. “Three weeks after this decision, a man in Wyoming ran down a gray wolf with a snowmobile, captured her, taped her muzzle shut, paraded her in a local bar while subjecting her to extended abuse—including going so far as to kiss the dying wolf while being filmed, the wolf too weak to do anything but bare her teeth—and finally killing her,” the groups said in a press release. “While Animal Wellness Action argues that these actions are punishable under Wyoming criminal law, and numerous…

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California Border Fentanyl Seizures Double as Texas Strengthens Border

California seized over one million fentanyl pills just last week, more than was seized in all of February, highlighting how much smuggling of drugs and illegal immigrants has shifted to California since Texas strengthened its border.

In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom increased the California National Guard’s San Diego border region presence from 40 to 60 soldiers for narcotics operations.

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‘Stop Cop City’ Activists at Anti-Israel Emory University Encampment Allegedly Funded by Left-Wing Donor Network, Court Records Reveal

Emory University anti-Israel encampment

The Stop Cop City protesters who were present at the anti-Israel encampment at Emory University on Thursday previously raised money from more than 70,000 donors and used it to selectively bail alleged criminals out of jail, according to Georgia state prosecutors who targeted the group in a criminal racketeering case last year.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr indicted 61 individuals allegedly associated with Stop Cop City in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act case in September 2023. Carr alleges the activists are engaged in a criminal conspiracy to use violence in a bid to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which will be used to train Georgia police and firefighters.

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Commentary: Immunity for Me but Not for Thee

Former President Donald Trump

“Whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?” That is the question the Supreme Court will answer when it hears oral argument in Trump v. U.S. on April 25, 2024.

Legacy media and the ladies of “The View” nearly lost their collective minds when the Court agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of the D.C. Circuit’s decision denying him immunity for his actions surrounding the events of Jan. 6, 2021. However, even Jack Smith, the Special Counsel prosecuting the case, argued that it was of “imperative public importance” that the Court resolve the immunity question before trial.

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Illegal Alien Sex Offender Released Despite Detainer Request, ICE Says

Illegal alien sex offender in police custody

Connecticut law enforcement officials released an illegal alien convicted of sex crimes against a minor while ignoring a detainer request, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE agents apprehended a 27-year-old Ecuadorian national convicted of indecent assault and second degree assault of a Connecticut child earlier this month, the agency announced in a press release on Wednesday. The agency is faulting local officials for releasing the alien, despite an immigration detainer placed on him.

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U.S. Marshals Offer Reward Money for Arrest of Killers in Mass Shooting at Memphis Park

Memphis Block Party

The U.S. Marshals Service in Memphis is now offering a reward for information leading to the arrests of suspects involved in a deadly mass shooting at a Memphis park last weekend. 

“The U.S. Marshals Service is currently offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the individuals responsible for the deadly shooting in Orange Mound,” the law enforcement entity said in a press release. 

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SCOTUS Shocked by Biden Administration’s View of Federal Power over States in ER Abortion Challenge

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar

To convince the Supreme Court that the Biden administration could use federal Medicare funding to force hospitals to perform abortions in violation of Idaho law, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar conceived and gave birth to some unusual arguments Wednesday.

She reached for a 129-year-old precedent that crippled the labor movement for decades, neutered legal obligations to the “unborn child” in the federal law that allegedly requires abortions in certain situations, and didn’t deny a Republican administration could use her rationale to functionally ban abortion and even transgender care nationwide.

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TBI Teams Up with Knox County Forensic Center to Identify John Doe Killed in Decades Old Hit-and-Run Case

TBI Building

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) in conjunction with the Knox County Forensic Center, have identified a man who was killed in a hit-and-run crash more than three decades ago. 

“On May 24, 1993, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle along Cedar Bluff Road in Knoxville,” TBI said in a press release. “The adult male, who had no identification on him, was pronounced deceased at the scene, and his body was sent for an autopsy.”

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Leads Coalition in Lawsuit Challenging the EEOC’s Abortion Rule

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti pursued legal action against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Thursday over its new rule regarding workplace abortion accommodations.

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) into law, which protects pregnant workers and their babies by directing that women receive workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”

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Bill to Fine Parents for Crimes of Delinquent Children Passes Tennessee General Assembly

HB 1930

Legislation that would fine the parents of delinquent children who commit additional crimes has the support of the Tennessee General Assembly after the State House passed it on Monday. The legislation will go to Governor Bill Lee for final approval before becoming law.

The bill, titled the Parental Accountability Act, will require juvenile courts to levy a $1,000 fine against children who are “found to be delinquent for a second or subsequent delinquent act” after already being found guilty of delinquency. Those unable to pay the fine may be granted community service.

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Commentary: DOJ and Judge Chutkan, Not Trump, to Blame for ‘Delay’ in J6 Case

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan

The Supreme Court will hear history-making arguments on Thursday in the case of Donald J. Trump v United States. For the first time, the highest court in the land will publicly debate the untested and unsettled question as to whether a former president is immune from criminal prosecution for his conduct in office. And despite claims by Democrats, the news media, and self-proclaimed “legal experts” to the contrary, the matter is far from clear-cut.

The case arises from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s four-count indictment against Trump related to the events of January 6 and alleged attempts to “overturn” the 2020 election. Smith’s flimsy indictment—two of four counts are currently under review by SCOTUS and the other two fall under similarly vague “conspiracy” laws—-and an unprecedented ruling issued last year by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan will be put to the test by the justices.

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Attorney General Kris Mayes Explains Why She is Prosecuting Arizona’s 2020 Alternate Slate of Electors for Trump, Gets Law Wrong

Kris Mayes

Attorney General Kris Mayes held a press conference on Wednesday to announce the indictment of Arizona’s alternate slate of electors for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, along with other named and unnamed co-conspirators and unindicted co-conspirators including Trump.

Mayes made several incorrect assertions about the law.

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‘Stop Cop City’ Protesters Confronted by Police over Emory University Campus Encampment for Palestine

Emory University Protest

The Stop Cop City movement reported on Thursday that Georgia State Police confronted its protesters as they attempted to create a pro-Palestine encampment on the Emory University campus.

A post to the social media platform X by Stop Cop City activists claims “an encampment in the Emory quad” was established at 7:30 a.m. “to demand total divestment from Israeli apartheid and Cop City,” the activists’ preferred term for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

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Arizona U.S. House Candidate Abe Hamadeh Declares A.G. Kris Mayes ‘Illegitimate’ After Indictment of Trump Allies

Abe Hamadeh and Kris Mayes

Arizona U.S. House candidate Abe Hamadeh declared Attorney General Kris Mayes “illegitimate” in a Thursday appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room after she handed down indictments against Arizona Republicans and allies of former President Donald Trump for their role in the 2020 election contest.

Hamadeh previously ran against Mayes in 2022 and continues to contest the results of the election. Mayes won by just 280 votes and Hamadeh contends there are about 9,000 uncounted ballots that would likely break in his favor.

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Arizona A.G. Kris Mayes Secures Indictments of Alternate Electors for Donald Trump and Others Likely Soon to be Named Including John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, with Trump Himself an Unindicted Co-Conspirator

Arizona A.G. Kris Mayes

Attorney General Kris Mayes persuaded a grand jury to indict the 11 Arizonans who agreed to serve as a slate of alternate electors for Donald Trump had he won the 2020 election, along with others involved in the effort to resolve election illegalities in that election. They are charged with conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

According to multiple media sources, while only the 11 alternate electors are named, the other unindicted co-conspirators are considered likely to be Trump, his former attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Christina Bobb, and Jenna Ellis, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn and former campaign aide Mike Roman. Their names are redacted since they have not been served yet.

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Unsealed Docs Expose Early Collaboration Between Archives, Biden White House in Trump Prosecution

President Joe Biden in front of the National Archives Museum (composite image)

Just weeks after learning Joe Biden had improperly retained government documents, his administration began working with federal bureaucrats in spring and fall 2021 to increase pressure on Donald Trump for similar issues and eventually prompt a criminal prosecution of the 45th president, according to government memos newly unsealed by a federal judge.

The correspondence, released this week by U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon in Florida, provide the the most extensive accounting so far of how the Biden White House worked with federal bureaucrats to escalate pressure on Trump to return documents to the National Archives even as it slow-walked similar issues involving its own boss.

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Shelby County Sheriff Makes Plea to Parents as Youth Justice and Education Center Nears Capacity

Floyd Bonner

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. is pleading with parents to provide their children with guidance and involvement as the Youth Justice and Education Center nears capacity.

The Youth Justice and Education Center is a 146-bed, single-occupancy secure detention center designed for youth “identified to be a danger to themselves, a danger to the community, or a flight risk.”

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Biden to Commute Sentences of Tennessee Drug Dealers

Joe Biden

The White House Wednesday announced commutations for five major drug dealers, three of whom are Tennessee residents.

Daequon Charles Davis of Johnson City was convicted of conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine and was serving an almost 22-year sentence with a subsequent 10 years of supervised release, which began in 2017. Biden commuted for a period of 10 years, leaving intact 10 years of supervised release.

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Nashville Police Confirm: Suspect in Death of Rapper Chris King ‘Wore Ankle Monitor at the Time of the Fatal Shooting’

Adrian Cameron

Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed on Monday that suspected murderer Adrian Cameron Jr., the 19-year-old accused of killing rapper Chris King, wore an ankle monitor while out on a $100,000 bond at the time of the King’s death.

A Monday post to the social media platform X by MNPD confirmed Cameron Jr. “was out on bond for the 2021 murder of Josh Evans” and was “on an ankle monitor at the time of the fatal shooting” of the rapper, whose given name was Christopher Cheeks.

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Arizona Rancher Accused of Murdering Illegal Immigrant Unlikely to Accept Plea Deal Following Mistrial

George Alan Kelly

The Arizona rancher who was accused of murdering a Mexican national who illegally immigrated to the United States is unlikely to accept any plea deals offered by prosecutors after his case ended in a mistrial, according to Wednesday remarks by his attorney.

Kathy Lowthorp, one of the attorneys who represented rancher George Alan Key after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a Mexican national who trespassed onto his property, said in a Wednesday interview with NewsNation’s Cuomo that her client would be unlikely to accept a plea deal if prosecutors move for a retrial.

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Virginia County Jail Buys Devices to Fight Inmates’ Opioid Withdrawals with Electricity

Inmates

The Chesterfield County Jail is reportedly set become the first in the country to use a detox device to help inmates recover from opioid withdrawal symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the user’s brain.

According to its manufacturer, the Masimo Bridge device is “a small electrical nerve stimulator device that contains a battery-powered chip and wires that are applied around a patient’s ear in a short, non-surgical, in-office procedure, providing five days of continuous relief” from withdrawal symptoms by sending electrical impulses to parts of the brain associated with opioid withdrawal.

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Commentary: ATF Rule Change Creates a Trap for the Unwary

A selection of modern firearms on a table

On Friday, the 31st anniversary of the massacre of Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, the ATF issued new regulations that make it more difficult to comply with federal laws regulating gun dealing and background checks.

Since the 1930s, federal law has required gun dealers to be registered as Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL). The requirements hinged on the meaning of “engaged in the business of” gun dealing. This language has always been ambiguous, and there has never been (even after the announcement of the new rules) a true “bright line” that distinguishes when one graduates from selling a few guns from one’s personal collection into full-fledged gun dealing.

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Judge Dismisses Riot Charges for over 100 Migrants Who Rushed Border

Judge Ruben Morales

A county judge dismissed 140 cases against migrants charged with rioting at the U.S. southern border, finding there was no reason to arrest them.

El Paso County Court at Law 7 Judge Ruben Morales on Monday found no probable cause from Texas Department of Public Safety state troopers to restrain the 140 migrants who were arrested earlier this month for rioting, according to the El Paso Times. The charges stemmed from an incident on April 12 when a group of migrants in El Paso’s Lower Valley cut through concertina wire at the border and then rushed into the U.S.

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Alleged Murderer in Killing of Rapper in Nashville Was Out on Bond in Another Murder Case

Adrian Cameron

The man who allegedly shot and killed rapper Christopher Cheeks, who went by the stage name Chris King, in Nashville early Saturday morning was out on bond for another alleged murder that took place in September of 2021. 

Cheeks was shot and killed after an altercation with a group of men who attempted to rob him, according to a press release from the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). 

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Tennessee House Passes Bill to Arm Trained Teachers amid Protests and Performative ‘Die-In’ for Media Starring Rep. Justin Jones

Justin Jones

The Tennessee House of Representatives on Tuesday approved HB 1202, which would arm teachers who are licensed, receive annual training, and are approved by police and school officials.

Protests threatened to interrupt the legislative body’s proceedings multiple times, with Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and his staffers at times joining protesters in performative acts of opposition to the bill.

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Tennessee State Judge Orders Police to Provide Redacted Copy of Covenant Killer Manifesto Ahead of Possible Release

Judge I'Ashea L. Myles

Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles on Monday afternoon ordered the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to provide a redacted copy of the manifesto written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale for the judge to review.

Myles made the order after Metro Nashville attorney Lora Fox previously confirmed MNPD holds no objections to releasing a redacted version of the manifesto, and would now make less redactions to the manifesto than were previously proposed in 2023.

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Memphis Police Chief Urges Unity, Posts Reward After Two Killed During Illegal Block Party that Attracted Hundreds

Memphis PD Chief CJ Davis

Memphis interim Police Chief C.J. Davis urged unity and offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to arrests of those behind the Saturday shootings at an illegal block party that resulted in two deaths and at least six injured in a Sunday statement.

Davis described the events at the illegal block party as “senseless acts of violence,” then asked Memphis citizens for help finding the culprits.

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MSNBC Legal Analyst Predicts Chance of ‘Mistrial’ in Trump’s Bragg Case

Attorney Danny Cevallos

MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos predicted on Monday that there is a possibility for a mistrial in the case Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought against former President Donald Trump.

Trump is currently on trial for 34 felony counts pertaining to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence regarding an alleged affair, and all 12 jurors were selected on Thursday. Two jurors were initially excused before the full jury was seated, which Cevallos on “Morning Joe” said indicates the possibility of forthcoming issues that could cause a mistrial.

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House Judiciary Opens Formal Inquiry into ATF Killing of Arkansas Airport Executive

Bryan Malinowski

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday launched a formal inquiry into federal agents’ fatal shooting of an Arkansas airport executive during the execution of a gun case search warrant at his home, demanding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) explain why it carried out the search without knocking and without using required body cams.

The ATF’s fatal shooting last month of Bryan Malinowski, an administrator at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, has reignited concerns about the agency’s enforcement of gun laws and regulations under President Joe Biden as well as prompted a criminal investigation by Arkansas authorities.

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