A police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department has been arrested on charges of leaking confidential information to a leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group. The officer, Lt. Shane Lamond, allegedly warned the former Proud Boys national chairman, Enrique Tarrio, that law enforcement had an arrest warrant for him related to the destruction of a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation’s capital. The indictment against Lamond alleges that he also obstructed the investigation after members of the Proud Boys destroyed the banner, for which Tarrio was eventually arrested two days before the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Lamond faces one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements.
Texas militia member Donald Hazard has been sentenced to almost five years in prison after admitting to attacking police officers during the January 6th Capitol riots. The sentence was the length suggested by federal prosecutors. The court heard how the 44-year-old, who was part of a militia group called the Patriot Boys of North Texas, was “eager for violence” and had a tactical vest and helmet adorned with the Confederate battle flag. During the riots, Hazard clashed with officers and grabbed one, pulling him down concrete steps and knocking him unconscious. Another officer's head was injured after Hazard fell on him. Hazard entered the Capitol building briefly before being pushed out by officers. Black pepper spray was used on some of the police. Over 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the attack, and Hazard is the latest person to be sentenced.
The FBI has repeatedly misused a spy database during the investigation into the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol, according to a partially redacted report from an oversight court. Officials used a special intelligence database containing foreign intelligence thousands of times to investigate US citizens in a manner that confirmed critics’ concerns about the programme, which was initially launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The database is maintained under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which comes up for renewal this year. The revelations could impact that process and further boost claims by Republican critics, who have established a committee in the House of Representatives focusing on the “weaponisation” of government.
Russia has banned 500 Americans from entering the country following the implementation of a new round of US sanctions. The list included Barack Obama, comedian Stephen Colbert and 45 members of the House of Representatives. Other bans were also connected to arms supplies to Ukraine and officials "who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called 'storm of the Capitol'". Moscow also refused the US's request for consular access to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in late March and charged with espionage.
A police department intelligence unit leader in Washington, DC has been arrested and charged with leaking information to far-right extremist group the Proud Boys. Lieutenant Shane Lamond, who is accused of alerting the group to an arrest warrant and leaking confidential information about an investigation into a stolen "Black Lives Matter" banner, reportedly had regular contact with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. Prosecutors presented communications and text exchanges between the two as evidence of their relationship. Lamond faces a maximum of 30 years' imprisonment if convicted of obstruction of justice and making false statements.
The FBI apparently breached its own search standards when going through its foreign intelligence database and looking up information related to the January 6th insurrection in Washington DC in 2021, as well as at civil rights and racial justice protests that took place in 2020, according to a recently released court order, leading to violations of the Fourth Amendment. Improper queries were made to look for information about a range of people, from arrested protestors to political candidates. The failures may hinder the FBI's attempt to have a warrantless surveillance program renewed by the government.
Debt limit talks have resumed at the US Capitol after the Republican House Speaker called for talks to pause on Friday. President Biden’s administration is attempting to come to an agreement with Republicans as Nigeria careens towards a potentially catastrophic debt default if the government is unable to increase the borrowing limit, which currently sits at $31tn. Republicans are calling for spending cuts, but the Democrats oppose the reductions. Any deal would require support from both parties to find agreement in a divided Congress. If the debt-default went ahead, it could cause financial shock waves throughout the economy of a negative impact on markets.
The FBI has improperly searched a US database of foreign intelligence 278,000 times over several years including Americans accused of crimes, according to a court ruling. The searches happened during US crime investigations, including the Capitol riots of 6 January and the 2020 George Floyd protests, the court said. The intelligence database holds digital data and other information on individuals. Civil liberties campaigners said the finding emphasised the need to rein in the power granted to the FBI and other intelligence agencies to pursue intelligence investigations.
A senior officer in the Washington Metropolitan Police Department's intelligence unit has been arrested and charged with obstructing justice and making false statements to investigators following allegations that he leaked information on an investigation into a 2020 Black Lives Matter rally supporting George Floyd to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. Federal prosecutors claim that Lt. Shane Lamond, who has worked for the force for 24 years, sent warnings to Tarrio about the impending arrest warrants against him and other Proud Boys leaders. He also stands accused of providing information to Tarrio about the theft of a "Black Lives Matter" banner from a DC church that was subsequently vandalized, as well as lying to investigators about their interactions. Lamond, who has been placed on administrative leave, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years for the charges against him.
Republicans are rallying around 24-year-old former US marine Daniel Penny, who was caught on video pinning an agitated fellow subway passenger in New York City to the floor in a chokehold. The passenger, 30-year-old Jordan Neely, subsequently died from compression of the neck, according to the medical examiner. Penny has been charged with manslaughter and his attorneys claim he acted in self-defense. Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged America to show Penny its support. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley called for New York's governor to pardon Penny, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy donated $10,000 to his legal defense fund. Most Republicans have lauded Penny as a hero who sought to protect others in New York City, which is led by Democrats and has seen crime rates increasing. Some also believe the support offered to the veteran reflects a party-wide playbook based around stoking division and fear and taking advantage of the worst aspects of human nature to win elections.
The National Archives has uncovered 16 records showing that former President Trump and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president and knew he was breaking rules by taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago. The findings were revealed in a letter sent to Trump by archivist Debra Steidel Wall, who wrote: “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.” The documents will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents.
Meanwhile, the former Attorney General under the Trump administration and Bush administration, Bill Barr, hinted that the situation could “expose” former President Trump if he “played games” after the government requested the classified documents. “The problem is what did he do after the government asked for them back and subpoenaed them? And if there’s any games being played there, he’s going to be very exposed,” Barr said.
In a poll of 1,571 registered voters, conducted by Republican polling firm WPA Research, President Joe Biden would be vaulted to a massive lead over Trump if the former president faces further criminal charges arising from the federal and state criminal investigations into his conduct. The poll found that voters currently prefer Biden over Trump by a margin of 47% to 40%, including a 14-point lead for the sitting president amongst registered independents. Even if Trump were to receive all of the indicted votes, the president would still hold a 4-point lead.
John Podesta, adviser to President Joe Biden and ex-adviser to President Barack Obama, is tasked with unravelling an obstacle to the US's transition to carbon-free electricity – a bureaucratic permitting process for renewable energy projects. Podesta argues that environmentalists will have to accept the need for oil and gas production in the short term, or risk slowing the pace of change. A recent Brookings Institution analysis of federal data found that transmission lines can take up to seven years to be permitted, while natural gas pipelines can take less than half that time. Biden's proposed $1tn infrastructure bill, which has yet to pass through the Senate, includes measures to shorten federal permitting times.
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) is leading the debt ceiling negotiations for House Republicans and is considered by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to be the obvious pick. Graves is respected by many who have worked with him due to his calm demeanor and attentiveness, and his knowledge and experience of the legislative process. However, some more conservative colleagues are concerned his openness to striking a deal with Democrats could misrepresent or ignore their attempts to cut spending. Some commenters suspect McCarthy may be positioning Graves as a “fall guy” to blame if negotiations fail to appease the far-right flank of the conference.
Graves was the top Republican in finding consensus among Republicans to elect McCarthy as speaker and bring together the disparate ideals of the conference. He has never served as committee chair or been elected to House leadership so some think he lacks the experience for such a high-stakes mission. In terms of his policy work, Graves has remained a conservative who toes the party line and has a 96 percent conservative score. When serving on the House Climate Crisis Committee, McCarthy appointed Graves as the top Republican to establish an energy, climate, and conservation task force that crafted policy prescription agreements.
Graves is negotiating with two trusted Biden aides: counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, who coincidentally is from the southern Louisiana district that Graves represents. Regardless of his background, and beyond party politics, what is clear is Graves’ calibre as a ‘workhorse.’ As Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) observes, while Graves may not be very visible, “if they want to debate Graves on policy, it’s best to come overprepared.”
Negotiations between the White House and House Republicans over raising the borrowing limit came to a standstill heading into a weekend during which US President Joe Biden was attending a meeting of global leaders in Japan. The sides face a deadline as soon as 1 June to raise the spending limit, with Republicans demanding spending cuts the Democrats oppose. Talks briefly resumed on Saturday morning only to be interrupted later in the day. The market soured as negotiations hit pause, with experts warning that even the threat of a debt default could spark a recession.
Concerns about the health of U.S. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein are growing amid revelations this week that she was diagnosed with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain caused by complications from shingles. Feinstein still managed to cast a couple of votes after returning from a two-month absence last week, but her home-state party seems to be increasingly concerned about her ability to continue to work. As it stands, Feinstein's aides have revealed hardly any information about her medical conditions. However, State Party Progressive Caucus Chairman Amar Shergill told The Washington Post that Feinstein's struggles "during simple conversations with reporters about when she was working and when she wasn't” may suggest she is no longer capable of "representing her constituents in D.C."
Despite growing tensions, there is no indication that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, or California Governor Gavin Newsom, deem it their role to ask Feinstein to step down. If she does, the subsequent appointment will be politically fraught. Newsom, who would make the selection, would need to choose between three Democratic members of the House from California who are vying to replace her: Adam B. Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Newsom is also under pressure to appoint a Black woman, in line with a promise made in 2021 to replace Senator Kamala Harris. Among the key choices are Lee, who was a past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and is currently the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to Democratic leadership in the House. However, others, including former Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, may be in contention for the role.
President Joe Biden and Republican leaders are struggling to reach an agreement to increase the nation’s debt limit, a decision that is quickly approaching. The Republican party is demanding sweeping spending cuts, a move that the Democrats have deemed too severe. However, the two parties have until 1 June to come to a decision before the country is at risk of a catastrophic federal default. Any bargains must gain the approval of both the Republicans and Democrats before they come into force. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, warned on Friday that such failure would plunge the country into "a Republican-made disaster," destroying the economy.
The White House and Republicans have engaged in mutual recrimination over proposals to raise the US debt limit, with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy claiming the White House has backtracked in talks. It is believed that agreement is needed this week for the government to keep making payments, while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned payments could stop from 1 June. Stocks fell on Friday after the Republicans walked out of talks. McCarthy said he doesn't expect any progress until President Joe Biden returns in person from the G7 summit. The Democrats want to avoid making all of the spending cuts demanded by Republicans.
US Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy has said debt ceiling talks “cannot move forward until the president can get back in the country”, referring to Joe Biden’s return from the G7 summit in Japan late on Sunday. The limit on government borrowing must be raised by 1 June or Washington faces an unprecedented default on US debt, which could trigger economic disruption and global market turmoil. Republicans insist on deep spending cuts over 10 years to support such a rise, while Democrats would accept much more limited budgetary cuts over a shorter period.
US President Joe Biden may speak to senior Republican Kevin McCarthy about raising the US's debt limit as both parties struggle to reach an agreement ahead of a 1 June deadline. If the debt limit is not raised, it could cause chaos in financial markets and interest rates would spike. Biden has reportedly sought the call while attending the G7 summit in Japan after his team briefed him on the lack of progress. Democrats and Republicans have criticised each other’s proposals as too extreme. Officials have yet to announce any new plans to meet.
US President Joe Biden has instructed aides to schedule a call with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after the Republican accused the White House of backtracking on raising the US debt limit. Biden received updates over the weekend, while at the G7 leaders summit in Japan, where the subject of the debt limit has cast a shadow over talks. Negotiations between Republicans and the White House have stalled: the former are demanding spending cuts that the Democrats are unwilling to make. The US Treasury Secretary has warned that the US could lose the ability to pay all its bills by 1 June. The discussions have also become bogged down over changes to the tax code, with Democrats calling for the closure of certain tax loopholes. McCarthy expressed pessimism about progress, saying the White House had moved backwards.
