Democrats seize on abortion ruling in midterms, as Republicans tread carefully
Democrats who will face voters in November seized on the Supreme Court decision, putting abortion rights at the center of their campaigns. The Republicans they are facing largely remained quiet, with some GOP strategists acknowledging that the issue might not be good for their candidates.
washingtonpost.comJudge rules against Michigan Republican seeking governor bid
A federal judge in Michigan on Monday refused Republican Perry Johnson's request to halt the printing of ballots for the GOP primary or to put his name on the ballot for governor, further dashing Johnson's chances at challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Johnson was among five governor candidates who were deemed ineligible for the Aug. 2 ballot after the state elections bureau determined they fell short of collecting the necessary number of valid signatures. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith on Monday rejected his bid for a temporary restraining order or an injunction, saying Johnson hasn't shown he was unconstitutionally left off the ballot.
news.yahoo.comEx-judge killed in ‘targeted act’ against judicial system, state says
Douglas K. Uhde, the suspect who allegedly killed retired judge John Roemer on Friday, targeted other high-profile government officials as well, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Local news reports state Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers were also on the suspect's list.
washingtonpost.comPrimaries spotlight coming battles over state supreme courts
Upcoming primary elections for state supreme court seats in North Carolina and Arkansas are putting the spotlight on how such races across the U.S. have grown in importance in recent years and led to high-dollar, partisan battles for control.
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
An Associated Press analysis has found a growing number of hazardous dams in poor condition across the U.S. The AP tallied more than 2,200 dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition that are rated as high hazard, meaning their failure likely would kill someone.
In outcome of Whitmer case, some see freedom, others danger
That a jury didn't convict any of the four men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Gov_ Gretchen Whitmer is further evidence of the political polarization in the U_S_ A defense lawyer for one of the men says it shows freedom still exists, and that the men's actions were nothing more than “rough talk.”.
Shocker: Far-Right Men Accused in Michigan Guv Kidnap Plot Duck Conviction
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photo by JIM WATSON/GettyIn a shocking twist, a gaggle of white men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the weeks before the 2020 presidential election dodged convictions on Friday.After five days of deliberations, a Michigan jury acquitted Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta of several charges, including conspiracy, for what prosecutors said was a depraved scheme born out of anti-government anger at the Democratic leader’s COVID-
news.yahoo.comMichigan Gov. Whitmer sues in bid to protect access to abortion
A 1931 Michigan law banning abortion has been superseded for nearly 50 years by the Roe decision. But if the Supreme Court overturns the nationwide right to abortion or leaves it to states to decide, the legislation could take effect.
washingtonpost.comMiami casino works to save jai alai from extinction
A group of committed enthusiasts is doing all it can to save jai alai, the world's fastest ball sport. What could be jai alai's curtain call is playing out at a Miami casino, the last remaining professional facility in the U.S. (March 28)
news.yahoo.comMan who schemed to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer alleges fellow plotters wanted to use a grenade launcher and machine gun to fight her security at her vacation home
Kaleb Franks, who pleaded guilty in February, spoke as a witness in the trial against four other men charged in the Whitmer kidnapping plot.
news.yahoo.comMan in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot says he lied after arrest
A second man who pleaded guilty in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer admitted Friday that he lied at times after being arrested in 2020 because he didn't want to go to jail. Kaleb Franks was questioned by defense attorneys a day after testifying for prosecutors in the trial of four former allies charged with conspiracy. Franks acknowledged telling investigators that the alleged leader, Adam Fox, was regularly egged on by a man who turned out to be an FBI informant.
news.yahoo.comWitness: Whitmer kidnapping aimed at stopping Biden win
A man who pleaded guilty to planning a kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told jurors Wednesday that he and his allies wanted to attack before the 2020 election to prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency. Ty Garbin didn't say why they thought an abduction that fall would stop Biden from defeating then-President Donald Trump. Garbin, 26, is a critical witness for prosecutors in the trial of four men charged with conspiracy: Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
news.yahoo.comText: When's 'lynching?' Michigan governor plot leader said
A man described as the leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked “when's the lynching?” after the state Supreme Court in 2020 struck down a law that she repeatedly used to impose restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to evidence introduced Monday. Defense attorneys then took over the questioning of Dan Chappel, who was challenged about what he said and did during months of covert work for the FBI. Chappel, an Army veteran who hauls mail, was an informant who secretly recorded hours of conversations and participated in chat groups.
news.yahoo.comFBI: Accused wanted 'tyrant' Gov. Whitmer tied up on table
A key figure in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov_ Gretchen Whitmer was secretly recorded telling an undercover FBI agent that he wanted to restrain the “tyrant” on a table, then pose for a photo “like we just made the biggest drug bust.”.
FBI: Accused wanted 'tyrant' Gov. Whitmer tied up on table
A key figure in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told an undercover FBI agent that he wanted to restrain the “tyrant” on a table then pose for a photo “like we just made the biggest drug bust," according to a secret recording played for jurors Thursday. Agent Mark Schweers told the jury that he was posing as someone with like-minded views from Michigan's Upper Peninsula when he met Adam Fox in the basement of a vacuum shop in suburban Grand Rapids, a hideaway accessed by a trap door. Fox didn't know that Schweers was wearing a recording device as he talked excitedly about attacking the Michigan Capitol, teaming up with a militia called the Wolverine Watchmen, and restoring a “constitutional republic.”
news.yahoo.comSnapshots of 4 men charged in Whitmer kidnapping plot
After more than two days of testimony, jurors have unflattering snapshots of four men who are charged with planning to strike back against government by kidnapping Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from her weekend home. Prosecutors introduced videos, messages and secretly recorded conversations full of antigovernment screeds, mostly expressed by Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, who are described as the leaders. Evidence presented early in what's likely to be a weekslong trial has bounced from Michigan to gatherings in Ohio and Wisconsin and an arrest in New Jersey — and not always in order.
news.yahoo.comJury hears man discuss plan to abduct Mich. Gov. Whitmer
Prosecutors in the trial of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday played covertly recorded audio for jurors in which one of the men specifically discusses a plan to abduct the Democrat. In the recording, made by a government informant during a meeting in mid-July 2020 in Wisconsin, Barry Croft Jr. describes the possibility of using explosives to “rain down” fire on law enforcement “with a team standing by” to abduct Whitmer. In another recording made by the same informant, jurors heard the sound of an explosives test Croft was conducting.
news.yahoo.comLawyers: FBI lured men for Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
The four men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were swayed by informants and federal agents who targeted them for their anti-government views, defense attorneys said Wednesday, portraying the men as big talkers and wannabes who never meant what they said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth argued that the men were “willing, eager, if not already preparing” to get Whitmer before investigators infiltrated the group. Investigators stepped in and stopped a “tragedy” when the men were planning to acquire a bomb to blow up a bridge near Whitmer’s home to stop police from quickly responding, Roth told jurors during his opening statement in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
news.yahoo.comExperts: Alleged plot against governor signals ominous shift
They railed against politicians, conducted military-style exercises and spoke darkly of confronting tyrants scheming to seize their guns and enslave them. “I don't think they were dangerous," said Vinyard, an Eastern Michigan University professor emeritus and author of a book about far-right movements in the state. In contrast to militants from before, who mostly avoided bloodshed with the horrific exception of the Oklahoma City bombing, some modern successors have taken a more radical and potentially violent turn.
news.yahoo.comWhitmer kidnapping plot defense seeks to dismiss indictment
Defense attorneys want to dismiss the indictment against five men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer because of what they described as “egregious overreaching” by federal agents and informants, according to a court filing. In the 20-page motion, which was filed Saturday night, defense attorneys allege FBI agents and federal prosecutors invented a conspiracy and entrapped people who could face up to life in prison. The request comes after developments and claims about the government’s team, including the conviction of Richard Trask, an FBI special agent who was arrested on a domestic violence charge and later fired and convicted of a misdemeanor.
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