Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalSupreme Court blocks torture testimony sought by terrorism suspect held in Guantanamo Bay
Source: CNN
(CNN)The Supreme Court said Thursday that the US government can -- in the name of national security -- shield the testimony of two former government contractors from a terrorism suspect who seeks to use the information in a criminal proceeding abroad.
Abu Zubaydah, who the government says is a former associate of Osama bin Laden, was subject to "enhanced interrogation techniques" in a CIA detention center abroad and is now being held in Guantanamo Bay.
His lawyers want to use the information to hold Polish officials accountable for what Zubaydah says was his unlawful detention and torture in a CIA facility in Stare Kiejkuty, Poland.
The court's opinion could restrict access to materials, discovery or testimony in future cases that the government claims should be protected by a so-called "states secret" privilege meant to protect national security.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/03/03/politics/supreme-court-zubaydah/index.html
Supreme Court lets Kentucky attorney general take over defense of state's abortion law
Source: NBC News
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on Thursday that Kentucky’s Republican attorney general can pick up the legal fight over a restrictive abortion law that the state’s Democratic governor no longer wishes to defend.
Already this term, the court has allowed a Texas abortion law, the strictest in the nation, to remain in force. And it has yet to rule on a case from Mississippi with much higher stakes, which presents a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.
Thursday’s case also involved the issue of abortion, but the ruling was about a different question: Who can represent a state in court after there’s been a shift in the political landscape?
The law at issue, which Kentucky’s legislature passed in 2018, would ban the use of a surgical abortion procedure commonly used after the 13th week of pregnancy. Immediately after the law was signed by the former governor, Republican Matt Bevin, a Louisville women’s surgical center challenged it in court.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna17449
Rep. Van Taylor apologizes for affair with 'ISIS bride,' abruptly drops reelection bid
Source: Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON — Rep. Van Taylor apologized Wednesday for an affair with an ex-jihadist dubbed the “ISIS bride” by British tabloids and abruptly dropped his bid for a third term, conceding the GOP runoff to rival Keith Self, a former Collin County judge.
“About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world. I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life,” he said in an email to supporters.
The infidelity surfaced just before Tuesday’s primary with help from a third candidate, Suzanne Harp.
A Plano resident named Tania Joya – widow of the most infamous American to join the Islamic State – contacted Harp last Thursday, hoping she would confront Taylor privately and persuade him to drop out and resign from Congress
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2022/03/02/last-minute-infidelity-allegation-helped-force-two-term-plano-rep-van-taylor-into-runoff/%3foutputType=amp
Mexico declines to impose economic sanctions on Russia
Source: Reuters
MEXICO CITY, March 1 (Reuters) - Mexico will not impose any economic sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.
He also criticized what he called censorship of Russian state-sponsored media by social media companies.
"We are not going to take any sort of economic reprisal because we want to have good relations with all the governments in the world," Lopez Obrador told a news conference.
Lopez Obrador's position stands in contrast to the international sanctions imposed on Russia for President Vladimir Putin's actions.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/mexicos-president-says-will-not-take-any-economic-sanctions-against-russia-2022-03-01/?taid=621e3f7f3cade00001018b2a&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
China lifts restrictions on Russian wheat imports
Hong Kong(CNN Business)China has relaxed restrictions on imports of Russian wheat, a move that could address food security concerns in the world's second largest economy and ease the impact of Western sanctions on Russia.
The decision to allow imports of wheat from all regions of Russia was made during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing earlier this month, but the details were only announced by China's customs administration this week.
Russia is the world's top producer of wheat. Previously, China had restricted wheat imports from Russia due to concerns about the presence of dwarf bunt fungus — a disease that can cause severe loss of yield for wheat and other crops — in some parts of the country.
More : https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/02/25/business/wheat-russia-china-intl-hnk/index.html
U.S. Supreme Court formally ends Trump's fight over Capitol attack records
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday brought a formal end to former President Donald Trump's request to block the release of White House records sought by the Democratic-led congressional panel investigating last year's deadly attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
The court's decision to formally reject Trump's appeal follows its Jan. 19 order that led to the documents being handed over to the House of Representatives investigative committee by the federal agency that stores government and historical records.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Dec. 9 upheld a lower court ruling that Trump had no basis to challenge President Joe Biden's decision to allow the records to be handed over to the House of Representatives select committee. Trump then appealed to the Supreme Court
Trump and his allies have waged an ongoing legal battle with the House select committee seeking to block access to documents and witnesses. Trump has sought to invoke a legal principle known as executive privilege, which protects the confidentially of some internal White House communications, a stance rejected by lower courts.
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/u-supreme-court-formally-ends-145516807.html
Andrew Cuomo to file professional misconduct complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia Jam
Source: CBS News
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to file a complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James with a state judicial committee that reviews allegations of professional misconduct involving attorneys, a lawyer for Cuomo said Thursday.
The attorney, Rita Glavin, accused James's office of "selectively" redacting information in the bombshell sexual harassment report that last year led to Cuomo's resignation from office, as well as including "materially misleading information" in the report, and "slow-rolling" the release of the underlying interview depositions after announcing its findings.
Glavin said James' office has not taken Cuomo's criticisms of the report seriously.
"What she has done and all she has done is she has publicly dismissed our complaints," Glavin said.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andrew-cuomo-former-governor-to-file-professional-misconduct-complaint-against-new-york-attorney-general-letitia-james/
Delaware lifting indoor mask mandate Friday; school mask requirement expires end of March
Source: WPVI-TV
WILMINGTON, Delaware (WPVI) -- Delaware Governor John Carney will lift the state's indoor mask mandate at the end of the week while a mask requirement for schools will expire at the end of March.
"We're in a much better place than we were several weeks ago in the middle of the Omicron surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations," Governor Carney said in a statement.
Carney signed a revision to the State of Emergency order on Monday which will end Delaware's universal indoor mask mandate at 8 a.m. on Friday, February 11.
At the same time, the governor temporarily extended the mask requirement in public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities.
Read more: https://6abc.com/delaware-mask-mandate-governor-john-carney-universal-indoor-requirement/11543597/
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