Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was sentenced Thursday after a landmark verdict convicting him of spearheading a weekslong plot to keep former President Donald Trump in power. He’s the first of the Jan. 6 defendants convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment. Rhodes did not express remorse or appeal for leniency, but instead claimed to be a “political prisoner.” Another Oath Keeper convicted of seditious conspiracy alongside Rhodes — Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs — was sentenced later Thursday to 12 years behind bars.
DeSantis pushes past embarrassing campaign start, raises $8.2M ahead of early state blitz
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is working to push past an embarrassing beginning to his presidential campaign. The Republican outlined an aggressive travel schedule on Thursday and announced he had raised $8.2 million in the 24 hours since entering the race. His team insists they remain well funded and well positioned for a long fight ahead. Still, DeSantis faced nagging questions about his rocky rollout during a conservative media tour. The 44-year-old governor formally launched his campaign Wednesday during an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, but the audio stream crashed repeatedly. DeSantis’ allies privately acknowledge that the situation was an unwelcome distraction. But there is a broad sense that the announcement snafu will have limited long-term political consequences.
Indiana doctor’s discipline hearing centers on privacy, reporting of Ohio 10-year-old’s abortion
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A hearing on whether an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio has become a political flashpoint. The Medical Licensing Board’s hearing on Thursday comes after the state’s Republican attorney general accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of violating state law. The attorney general says she should have reported the child abuse to Indiana authorities, and that she broke patient privacy laws by telling a newspaper reporter about the abortion. Bernard and her lawyers maintain that she followed the law. A man has been charged in Columbus, Ohio, with raping the girl.
Kids could fill labor shortages, even in bars, if these lawmakers succeed
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Lawmakers in several states are looking to loosen child labor laws, even as the federal government cracks down on surging violations. In at least 10 states, legislators have proposed letting children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations as a fix for labor shortages. They also say parents have the right to let their kids work, and without too much paperwork. But advocates against child exploitation are concerned by proposals allowing children to work late on school nights and serve alcohol in restaurants. Recent investigations by federal authorities found child workers exposed to dangerous conditions in meatpacking plants and automotive factories, industries that have struggled to find adult workers.
Texas lawmakers issue 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers have issued 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, ranging from bribery to abuse of public trust as state Republicans surged toward a swift and sudden vote that could remove him from office. The charges were released Thursday night, hours after a Republican-led House investigative committee recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer. The House could vote on the recommendation as soon as Friday. If it impeaches Paxton, he would be forced to leave office immediately.
Supreme Court rules in favor of 94-year-old woman who got nothing when county took her condo
WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court has given a 94-year-old Minneapolis woman a new chance to recoup some money after the county kept the entire $40,000 when it sold her condominium over a small unpaid tax bill. The justices ruled Thursday that Hennepin County, Minnesota violated the constitutional rights of the woman, Geraldine Tyler, by taking her property without paying “just compensation.” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that the county “could not use the toehold of the tax debt to confiscate more property than was due.” Tyler, who now lives in an apartment building for older people, owed $2,300 in unpaid taxes, plus interest and penalties totalling $15,000. Minnesota is among roughly a dozen states that allow local jurisdictions to keep the excess money.
Man declared innocent of attempted murder after 33 years in California prison
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man who spent 33 years in prison for attempted murder has been declared innocent. The Los Angeles County district attorney apologized Thursday for Daniel Saldana’s wrongful conviction and imprisonment. Saldana, who’s 55, said at a news conference that he’s grateful to be freed. Saldana was convicted in 1990 of being one of several men who opened fire on a car full of high school students in Baldwin Park, east of Los Angeles. Two teens were wounded. The district attorney’s office began investigating after learning in February that another convicted man told a parole board that Saldana was not at the scene.
3 healthy kittens born to mountain lion tracked by biologists in wilderness near Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A mountain lion studied by biologists in wilderness areas near Los Angeles has given birth to three healthy kittens. The National Park Service says Thursday that the three females are estimated to be a month old. They were found May 18 nestled in a patch of poison oak in the Simi Hills area about 40 miles northwest of downtown LA. They were born to a cougar dubbed P-77, who’s about 5 years old and has been tracked since November 2019. Scientists are calling the babies P-113, P-114 and P-115. The father isn’t immediately known.
Navy SEALs training plagued by pervasive problems, according to investigation after death of sailor
WASHINGTON (AP) — The training program for Navy SEALs is plagued by widespread medical failures, poor oversight and the use of performance-enhancing drugs that have increased the risk of injury and death to those seeking to become elite commandos. That’s according to an investigation triggered by the death of a sailor last year. The nearly 200-page, highly critical report says medical oversight and care were “poorly organized, poorly integrated and poorly led and put candidates at significant risk.” The report says flaws in the medical program “likely had the most direct impact on the health and well being” of the SEAL candidates and “specifically” on Kyle Mullen, the sailor who died. It said if the shortcomings had been addressed, his death may have been preventable.
Ford electric vehicle owners to get access to Tesla Supercharger network starting next spring
DETROIT (AP) — All of Ford‘s current and future electric vehicles will have access to about 12,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the U.S. and Canada starting next spring. Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the agreement Thursday during a “Twitter Spaces” audio chat. Farley said the agreement is a huge move for the auto industry and all electric vehicle customers. Musk said he didn’t want Tesla’s network to be a “walled garden.” He said he wants to use it to support sustainable transportation. The event came off without the embarrassing technical glitches that plagued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement Wednesday that he was running for president.