5 things to know for June 30: Idaho shooting, Trump bill, US-Canada, Iran, escaped inmates
The Justice Department has reportedly fired at least three prosecutors involved in criminal cases tied to the 2021 US Capitol riot. In recent months, the DOJ has also terminated employees who worked on prosecutions against President Donald Trump and demoted many career supervisors who were seen as insufficiently loyal to the president.
Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
Two firefighters were killed and a third was injured on Sunday when they came under attack while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. 'It's clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in,' one firefighter said while calling for help. Residents were asked to shelter in place as hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement converged on the area to look for the gunman. Then on Sunday night, a deceased man was found on Canfield Mountain with a firearm nearby, and the shelter in place order was lifted. The man is believed to have started the fire before shooting at the responding firefighters, the Kootenai County sheriff said.
The Senate's marathon voting session on President Trump's sweeping agenda bill is expected to begin at 9 a.m. today. During the session, known as a vote-a-rama, lawmakers may offer as many amendments to the bill as they want to vote on. Only after that's finished can a final vote on the bill be held. Over the weekend, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis announced that he would not be seeking reelection next year. Tillis is one of only two Republicans who voted against advancing the tax and spending cuts package, citing concerns about the impact that cuts to Medicaid would have on his constituents. On his social media site, Trump called Tillis' decision 'Great News!'
In a bid to restart trade negotiations with the Trump administration, Canada announced on Sunday that it will rescind its digital services tax. Set to take effect today, it would have taxed online services from large tech companies, such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft — retroactive to 2022. On Friday, President Trump canceled trade talks between the two nations and blamed the tax, saying it was 'a direct and blatant attack' on the US. Following its latest tax decision, the Canadian government said Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump had decided to resume trade talks 'with a view towards agreeing on a deal by July 21, 2025.'
US strikes on Iran last week fell short of causing total damage to its nuclear program, and the Islamic Republic could start enriching uranium 'in a matter of months,' according to the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog. Rafael Grossi's comments on CBS Sunday appear to support an early assessment from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, first reported by CNN, which suggested the US strikes did not destroy the core components of Iran's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months. President Trump decried the CNN story and has claimed the US attack set Tehran's ambitions back by decades.
Authorities have captured another inmate who escaped from a New Orleans jail on May 16. Antoine Massey, 33, a serial escapee who was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, was arrested Friday in a rental property just miles from the Orleans Justice Center where he and nine other inmates made their brazen getaway. In the weeks since they fled, the police have arrested nine of the fugitives. Derrick Groves, the last remaining escapee, is still on the run. Groves was convicted of killing two people in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to battery of a corrections officer. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Fox News suedThe $787 million lawsuit stems from a dispute between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump over the timing of a phone call during LA's recent immigration protests.
Bey is safe!Singer Beyoncé had to briefly stop the show in Houston after her 'flying' car prop experienced a mishap in midair.
No biting, sirActress Alicia Hannah-Kim called the police to a fan convention in Washington and accused one of her 'Cobra Kai' co-stars of assaulting her.
A forest returnsUnderwater forests of crayweed are slowly being restored off Australia's southeastern coast after disappearing in the 1980s, likely due to dumped sewage.
Blue screen goes bye byeMicrosoft's infamous 'blue screen of death,' which would appear on computer monitors whenever Windows users experienced 'unexpected restarts,' will soon be retired.
110,000That's how many Russian troops have amassed near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Russian forces have been trying to capture the area for almost a year.
'You can put any lipstick you want on this pig, but it's still a pig.'— Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, on President Trump's massive policy bill.
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Despite a heat wave, massive crowds protested the Hungarian government's anti-LGBTQ legislation during Budapest Pride over the weekend.
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sister of U. of Idaho Murder Victim Kaylee Goncalves Slams Plea Deal with Suspect Bryan Kohberger: 'The System Has Failed'
Bryan Koberger is accused of killing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in November 2022 The former Ph.D student has reportedly accepted a plea deal Goncalves' 18-year-old sister, Aubrie Goncalves, spoke out about the news in a statementKaylee Goncalves' 18-year-old sister, Aubrie Goncalves, is speaking out after her suspected killer, Bryan Kohberger, has reportedly accepted a plea deal. In December 2022, Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students: Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Following his indictment by a grand jury in May 2023, a judge reportedly entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf after he exercised his right to remain silent during his arraignment. After waiving his right to a speedy trial in August 2023, the case was delayed indefinitely, pushing his trial to August 2025, per ABC News. According to a letter sent to victims' family members discussing a new plea agreement, cited by the outlet, however, Kohberger is expected to enter a guilty plea on all charges. This means he would be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years on the burglary charge. The former Ph.D student, who could have faced the death penalty if convicted, will also waive his appeal rights, per ABC News. Following the news, Goncalves' 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, penned a statement on the Goncalves Family Page on Facebook, stating that she would not stay silent, as what she and the families of the deceased have endured is "beyond comprehension." "From the constant delays to the relocation of proceedings—making it harder for loved ones to attend—the justice system has placed heavy burdens on those already carrying unimaginable grief. Through it all, we have tried to hold on to hope," Aubrie wrote. "We've believed in the process. We've had faith in the system. But at this point, it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth: the system has failed these four innocent victims and their families," she continued. Aubrie wrote that Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Chapin "deserve to be remembered for who they were in life, not only for the tragedy of their deaths." "But before that can truly happen, they deserve justice. Nothing less. The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel," wrote Aubrie. She said that if a plea deal would have been introduced earlier in the case the family could have had "time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence—however difficult that may be. We could have had the time to understand it, to prepare for it emotionally, and perhaps even to find some degree of peace." "But now, with mere weeks left, we are being asked to absorb and respond to life-altering decisions with no room to breathe," wrote Aubrie. The teenager expressed that she feels that their loved ones have been "silenced forever," while Kohberger will "still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world," in prison. "That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts," she said, noting that "this last-minute plea deal feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for accountability. We are asking for dignity for our loved ones. And we are asking—pleading—for a justice system that truly lives up to its name," she said. The Goncalves family also published a follow-up post on Facebook, in which they said they did "talk to the prosecution on Friday about the POSSIBILITY of a plea deal and it was a HARD NO from our family." They said they met with prosecutors again on Monday to "reiterate our views on pushing for the death penalty." However, they continued, "Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter. We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder then anyone could EVER imagine." Read the original article on People
Associated Press
13 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail
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New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
DOJ memo outlines plans for ‘prioritizing denaturalization' — aka yanking US citizenship — of individuals charged with certain crimes
The Justice Department will prioritize revoking the US citizenship of individuals charged with certain crimes, according to a memo issued by the agency earlier this month. 'The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence,' read a June 11 'enforcement priorities' memo sent by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate to all employees within the DOJ's Civil Division. Shumate noted that the civil division has established several 'categories of priorities for denaturalization cases' in order to 'promote the pursuit of all viable denaturalization cases … and maintain the integrity of the naturalization system while simultaneously ensuring an appropriate allocation of resources.' 'Denaturalization' was among five priorities for the DOJ's civil division listed in a June 11 memo. Getty Images The 10 categories of crimes that could lead to citizenship being stripped range from 'war crimes' to COVID loan fraud, according to the memo. Individuals 'who pose a potential danger to national security, including those with a nexus to terrorism, espionage, or the unlawful export from the United States of sensitive goods, technology, or information raising national security concerns' will be among those prioritized for denaturalization. As will individuals who 'further or furthered the unlawful enterprise of criminal gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and drug cartels.' Various forms of fraud are also listed in the memo, including 'Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud and Medicaid/Medicare fraud' and 'fraud against private individuals, funds, or corporations.' The DOJ will also target 'individuals who committed human trafficking, sex offenses, or violent crimes.' Naturalized citizens who didn't disclose previous felonies during the process or acquired their citizenship through 'government corruption' or 'misrepresentation' could also be subject to prioritized denaturalization proceedings. The DOJ, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has already stripped the US citizenship of at least one person convicted of possession of child pornography. AP 'Any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue' will also meet the priority threshold, according to the memo. 'These categories are intended to guide the Civil Division in prioritizing which cases to pursue; however, these categories do not limit the Civil Division from pursuing any particular case, nor are they listed in a particular order of importance,' Shumate noted. 'Further, the Civil Division retains the discretion to pursue cases outside of these categories as it determines appropriate.' Denaturalization is among the DOJ's top five enforcement priorities for the civil division, which also lists 'Combatting Discriminatory Practices and Policies,' 'Ending Antisemitism,' 'Protecting Women and Children' and 'Ending Sanctuary Jurisdictions' as top concerns. At least one person has been denaturalized since the memo was issued. Elliott Duke, a British national convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography in 2014, was stripped of his US citizenship on June 13, according to the DOJ. Duke was granted US citizenship in 2013 after enlisting in the US Army the year prior. He claimed on his 2013 citizenship application that he had never committed a crime for which he was not arrested, but the DOJ determined that in 2012, while serving in Germany, Duke began receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material. Duke's denaturalization case was investigated under 'Operation Prison Lookout,' which the DOJ describes as 'an ongoing national initiative involving the Justice Department and ICE to identify and prosecute sex offenders who have fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.' 'The laws intended to facilitate citizenship for brave men and women who join our nation's armed forces will not shield individuals who have fraudulently obtained US citizenship by concealing their crimes,' Shumate said in a statement. 'If you commit serious crimes before you become a US citizen and then lie about them during your naturalization process, the Justice Department will discover the truth and come after you.'
