Former Wilco Sheriff Robert Chody surrenders on new evidence tampering charge in Javier Ambler case

Idaho bills restricting voting, ballot procedures hang in balance as session nears end

The fate of several bills that would restrict voting or ballot initiative procedures in Idaho hang in the balance when the Legislature reconvenes April 6 after postponing the 2021 session due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the Capitol.

One would put new restrictions on turning in absentee ballots.

• House Bill 223, pushed by House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, would make it a felony to mail or drop off other people’s absentee ballots. Moyle said he wanted to protect the security of elections and fend off so-called ballot harvesting by political activists. But many opponents said the bill would turn Idahoans into criminals for helping friends or loved ones by dropping ballots in the mail or taking them to a county elections office.

Two other proposals before the Legislature would impact the ballot initiative process.

• Senate Bill 1110 would change the signature gathering requirements for initiatives. The bill would make it so that ballot initiatives would need to have signatures of 6% of voters in all 35 legislative districts, up from the current requirement of 18 legislative districts. Supporters say the bill increases voter involvement in the referendum process and spreads the work of verifying signatures more evenly among county clerks. Opponents say the bill makes it that much harder to get a referendum or initiative on the ballot.

• House Joint Resolution 4 seeks to create an amendment to the Idaho Constitution that would prohibit the legalization of controlled substances unless approved by a two-thirds supermajority of the Idaho Legislature. Supports say they want to create a high bar for legalizing drugs. But opponents say the resolution is an attempt to head off a potential ballot initiative where a simple majority of voters could legalize medical marijuana. Nationally, 36 states have approved comprehensive medical marijuana programs, including Utah and Montana, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. In November 2020, Montana voters legalized possession and use of marijuana for adults 21 and over.

Read more: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2021/04/01/idaho-bills-restricting-voting-ballot-procedures-hang-in-balance-as-session-nears-end/

London police officer found guilty of membership in banned neo-Nazi group

April 1 (UPI) -- A London police officer has been found guilty of membership in a banned neo-Nazi group, the Metropolitan Police said Thursday.

Probationary Police Constable Benjamin Hannam, 22, of North London, was found guilty of membership of proscribed terrorist organization National Action, following a trial at the Old Bailey, Met Police said in a statement. He was convicted of two counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of possession of document likely to be of use to a terrorist.

The Home Secretary proscribed the racist neo-Nazi group National Action as a terrorist group on December 16, 2016.

"The public expect police officers to carry out their duties with the very highest levels of honesty and integrity," said Commander Richard Smith of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. "Sadly, PC Hannam showed none of these qualities, firstly by joining with a far-right proscribed organization, and then when he lied about his past links to this group when applying to become a police officer."

Read more: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/04/01/Britain-London-Metropolitan-Police-officer-Benjamin-Hannam-convicted-recruiter-neo-Nazi/7251617294659/

Australia Lifts Brisbane Lockdown in Time for Easter as COVID Cases Dwindle

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia will end a lockdown of its third-biggest city Brisbane on Thursday, just in time for Easter holidays, as only one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case in Queensland state eased fears of a widespread outbreak.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the three-day lockdown in Brisbane would end at noon local time (0200 GMT), but residents would still be required to wear masks in public and some social distancing restrictions would remain in place.

"We are expecting a very good Easter," Palaszczuk said.

But she cautioned that the state, a popular destination for domestic travellers over the Easter break and subsequent school term holidays, was "not out of the woods yet".

"I'm asking Queenslanders for the next two weeks if we all do the right thing, we can get through this together," Palaszczuk said at a televised briefing.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-31/australias-queensland-state-premier-says-brisbane-lockdown-to-end

Montana GOP Lawmakers Pass Discriminatory Anti-LGBTQ 'Religious Freedom' Bill

Lawmakers in the Montana House and Senate have passed a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” bill that will allow any person or business to discriminate against anyone for any reason if not doing so would violate their religious beliefs.

House Democrats supported an amendment that would not allow the law to be used to discriminate but Republicans refused to support it.

“Do not make me NOT do what my God tells me I have to do,” Republican Rep. John Fuller, opposing the amendment, said during Thursday’s debate, the AP reports.

“The LGBTQ community opposes the bill, arguing it could lead to challenges against ordinances in several cities that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression,” the AP adds. “The Montana Human Rights Act does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”

Read more: https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2021/04/montana-gop-lawmakers-send-discriminatory-anti-lgbtq-religious-freedom-bill-to-governors-desk/

Perkins Furious That Blinken Axed Pompeo's Anti-LGBT Policy: He Doesn't Care About "Biblical And

Lara Trump has a new job, but says she's still considering North Carolina Senate run

WASHINGTON -- Lara Trump still hasn’t made a decision about running for U.S. Senate from North Carolina in 2022.

But former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law has found a new job in the meantime — paid contributor for Fox News.

And Trump, a North Carolina native, says her new employer is willing to be flexible if she decides to get in the Senate race as a Republican candidate.

“Fox has been very generous with me,” Trump said Monday morning during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “They have said, look, if that’s something that you ultimately decide to do, they’re going to work with me on that front and make sure that all the rules are followed and we do everything properly. Thank you to the Fox team for allowing me to have the possibility that that’s in the future.”

Trump said she still hasn’t “made a decision but hopefully sometime soon.”

Read more: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article250285315.html

Train Derails in Taiwan's East Coast, At Least 36 Feared Dead

A passenger train derailed on the east coast of Taiwan this morning, with at least three dozen people feared killed and more than two dozen others injured, the National Fire Agency said.

The Taroko Express, which has eight coaches and can carry about 350 passengers, derailed in a tunnel in Hualien County at about 9:35 a.m., the agency said in a text message. The train was heading south along the east coast to Taitung. Four coaches of the train were mangled after hitting the wall.

Friday is the first day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping holiday, when many in Taiwan travel to be with family. President Tsai Ing-wen ordered relevant departments to offer their best rescue efforts, and instructed the transportation ministry as well as Taiwan Railway to deal with impacted traffic arrangements, Presidential Office spokesman Chang Tun-han said in text message.

Of the 100 passengers in the first four coaches that were evacuated, 36 showed no signs of life, while 61 were seriously or slightly injured and sent to the hospital for treatment. Rescue efforts are still underway for the last four coaches, with 72 still stuck, the agency said.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-02/train-in-taiwan-derails-with-potentially-hundreds-aboard

The Sackler Family's Bankruptcy Scheme

Opioid maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy rests on an awesome idea: that the judge will agree to extend the greatest power of bankruptcy—forgiving a company’s debts and obligations—to the individual members of the Sackler family who own and controlled Purdue for decades.

In exchange, the Sacklers would pay out $4.3 billion over a nine-year period for opioid treatment and victims, and transform the company into a public trust with the idea of using it for good, rather than profit.

Among the lawsuits filed against Purdue, hundreds name Sackler family members personally, based on claims they personally drove many of Purdue’s decisions to aggressively market OxyContin—a drug that can be twice the strength of morphine—to sell to more users, at greater doses, for a longer period of time.

Those lawsuits filed against Sackler family members will be simply wiped out with the stroke of a pen, with no hearing on the merits, if the bankruptcy judge agrees to a plan based on one Purdue Pharma proposed earlier this month.

Read more: https://prospect.org/justice/sackler-familys-bankruptcy-scheme/
(American Prospect)

'I don't want them here': North Texas congressional candidate goes off on anti-Chinese rant

A North Texas congressional candidate went on a tirade against China and potential Chinese immigrants on Wednesday.

Sery Kim, vying for the late Ron Wright's seat in Congress, made several disdainful remarks toward China and Chinese immigrants during a Republican congressional candidate forum in Arlington, the Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers Jr. reports.

“I don’t want [Chinese immigrants] here at all,” Kim said. “They steal our intellectual property, they give us coronavirus, they don’t hold themselves accountable.”

“And quite frankly, I can say that because I’m Korean,” Kim said.

https://twitter.com/gromerjeffers/status/1377414229653913612

Read more: https://www.lmtonline.com/politics/article/north-texas-candidate-chinese-congress-16070041.php
(Laredo Morning Times)




Sery Kim, vying for the late Ron Wright's seat in Congress, made several disdainful remarks toward China and Chinese immigrants during a Republican congressional candidate forum in Arlington.
Kris Connor/Getty Images

https://twitter.com/seryfortexas/status/1377439260739919874