Former President Donald Trump Indicted by Manhattan Grand Jury

Former US President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday. Trump is the first president, former or current, to be indicted on a felony charge.

The indictment stems from an October 2016 payment from Michael Cohen, Trump’s then personal lawyer, to pornographic actress Stephanie Clifford, better known by her stage name Stormy Daniels, to cover up a 2006 affair between her and Trump. Cohen, who was reimbursed by Trump for the payment, was later convicted for violating campaign finance law for making the payment without it being disclosed as a campaign expenditure. The conviction was part of a larger criminal investigation in which Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud and tax evasion related to his businesses.

The indictment comes amid other probes into Trump’s conduct during his presidency and his post-presidency. He is under investigation by state authorities in Georgia over his alleged attempts to improperly influence election officials in the 2020 election. He also is facing a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents after he left the presidency as well as potential obstruction. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate in the federal case.

Trump is expected to surrender to police on Tuesday next week, where he will be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken.

One of Trump’s lawyers, Joe Tacopina, is making television appearances defending his client from the alleged charges, also saying that Trump will not take a plea deal in the case.

Republicans have vocally criticized the indictment, accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) of political animus. Some congressional Republicans have said they will call on Bragg to testify before Congress regarding the prosecution. Bragg has denied any political motivation for the prosecution. 

Bragg himself is a controversial figure. Elected in 2021, Bragg ran on a progressive platform, promising a less punitive approach to criminal justice focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Critics argue his policies are in part responsible for an increase in crime in New York City.

 

East Palestine, OH Residents Grapple With Toxic Fallout

Nearly a month after a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near the village of East Palestine, Ohio, local residents are still contending with the fallout of the toxic chemicals that were spilled in the initial derailment, as well as those burned in an attempt to clean the area.

After the initial derailment on February 3, officials began evacuations within a 1-mile radius. Three days later on February 6, the vinyl chloride, a toxic, carcinogenic chemical used in the manufacture of PVC, was burned to prevent possible explosions. The evacuation order was lifted on February 9 after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials reported that the area was safe. However, local residents have reported health issues since that time, and numerous animal deaths have been documented, including thousands of fish and frogs.

Officials hosted a town hall for residents to ask questions. Representatives from Norfolk Southern were set to appear at the event, but the company pulled out at the last minute, citing what they perceived as safety issues.

Grocery chain Giant Eagle has pulled its branded water, which is bottled 25 miles away from the derailment site. Some high school teams have also forfeited games rather than play in the affected region, concerned about possible health effects from the released chemicals.

Some have criticized the state and federal response to the derailment and chemical contamination. While FEMA sent an assistance team, because there was technically no property damage to the residents of the area, it did not qualify as a “major disaster.”

 

US Energy Department: COVID Most Likely Caused by Lab Leak

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) released an updated report this past week on the origins of the coronavirus outbreak, with the department now saying that the pandemic was a result of a leak in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2019. The report says that it has made this judgment with ‘low confidence,’ which means it has low certainty in its claim.

It joins the FBI in federal agencies that believe that the virus escaped from the lab (the FBI has ‘moderate confidence’ in this belief). Four other agencies believe that the pandemic was the result of natural transmission.

China has criticized the DOE report, with Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning claiming that the US is using the lab leak theory to score political points, rather than seek a scientific conclusion. She cited the previous WHO investigation, which had concluded that the virus was likely the result of natural transmission. The WHO’s report has also been criticized, with China accused of obstructing the organization’s investigation.

Winter Storm Leads to Rare California Snow

 A strong winter storm led to snow across the state, along with high winds that took down power lines, causing over 170,000 power outages. Cars were stranded on I-15 because of snow, hail, and strong winds, with snowflakes and hail even reported at the famed Hollywood sign.

The storm caused severe weather across the US, with blizzard conditions reported in Midwestern states and tornado watches issued in several Southern states.

While the storm caused blizzard conditions in some of the country, some areas outside the storm’s path reported record high temperatures.

 

Mishandled Classified Documents Scandal Plague Biden, Trump, Pence

The Biden White House continues to work to limit the political and legal fallout from classified documents dating from his time as vice president found at the Penn Biden Center as well as his personal residence.

Biden’s lawyers first alerted the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on November 2, 2022, of classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center. NARA alerted the Department of Justice (DOJ), which began investigating the handling of the documents. CBS News reported on January 31 that the FBI searched the Penn Biden center in mid-November 2022, something the White House has not yet revealed.

On January 9, the White House revealed the released information about the document situation while trying to draw differences between Biden’s case and former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after his presidency. Trump’s Florida residence Mar-a-Lago was raided by the FBI on August 8, 2022, and Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel into Trump’s case on November 18.

Garland would do the same in Biden’s case on January 12.

More documents were reported found in Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware residence on January 11. The FBI later conducted a voluntary search of his residence, finding additional documents.

On January 24, NARA revealed that former Vice President Mike Pence also retained classified documents at his Indiana home, leading to speculation that such mishandling of documents may be widespread among high-ranking government officials.