Four Oathkeepers convicted of seditious conspiracy on January 6
Four members of the Oath Keepers have been convicted of seditious conspiracy in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol in the second major trial involving far-right extremists accused of conspiring to forcibly hold President Donald Trump in office. can. A Washington DC jury found Joseph Hackett, Robert Minuta, David Moerschel and Edward Vallejo guilty on Monday. The verdict comes weeks after a different jury convicted two leaders of the extremist group for the mob attack that halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters after the verdict that he is “grateful to the prosecutors, agents and staff for his excellent work.”
Exhausted under Trump, EPA struggles with its mission
The country’s top environmental agency is still reeling from the exodus of more than 1,200 scientists and policy experts during the Trump administration. The Environmental Protection Agency’s chief of chemicals said his staff can’t keep up with an ever-increasing workload. The enforcement unit is prosecuting fewer polluters than at any time in the past two decades. And now this: The stressed-out, stretched-out agency struggles to write about half a dozen highly complex rules and regulations that are central to President Joe Biden’s climate goals. The new rules must be enacted within the next 18 months or they could be overturned by a new Congress or administration.
As tax season begins, a beleaguered IRS looks to beef up customer service
The Biden administration aims to improve customer service at the IRS as tax season began Monday, a pivotal moment for an agency at the center of a political fight over more than $80 billion in additional funding awarded by the Congress last year. The IRS rushes to train 5,000 new agents to answer taxpayer questions. It is also implementing new automated systems and staffing its traditional taxpayer assistance centers. The updates are intended to highlight the initial impact of the money he received through last year’s Inflation Reduction Act legislation and to allay fears stoked by Republicans that the funds will be used to increase audits.
Official: 7 dead in California community; suspect arrested
Seven people were killed in two related shootings Monday at a mushroom farm and a trucking company in a coastal community south of San Francisco, and authorities say one suspect is in custody. San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Chairman Dave Pine says four people died at the farm and three at the trucking business. It was not immediately clear how the locations were connected. But Pine says the suspect worked at one of the businesses. The shootings occurred on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay, a city about 30 miles south of San Francisco. The shooting followed the killing of 11 people on Saturday at a dance hall in southern California.
Florida’s rejection of black history course sparks debate
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated the state’s rejection of a proposed national advanced African-American studies course, saying it pushes a political agenda. At a news conference Monday, DeSantis said the state wants education, not indoctrination. As an example, he cited the inclusion of a unit on “Black Queer Studies” in the course. The authors whose papers are included in the course told The Associated Press that it is DeSantis who is pushing a political agenda. They say he doesn’t want students exposed to ideas contrary to his right-wing philosophy. The College Board, which is testing the course in 60 US high schools, hopes to launch the course next year.
USA: Former FBI Counterintelligence Agent Helped Russian Oligarch
A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official has been charged with aiding a Russian oligarch, in violation of US sanctions. Charles McGonigal was the former special agent in charge of the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York. He is accused in an indictment unsealed Monday of working with a former Soviet diplomat turned Russian interpreter on behalf of Russian energy magnate Oleg Deripaska. McGonigal oversaw investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska, before retiring in 2018. McGonigal allegedly worked to get Deripaska’s sanctions lifted in 2019 and allegedly took money from him. Online court records did not include attorneys who could speak on behalf of the defendants. The lawyers did not immediately return emails seeking comment.
