RSN: Jill Abramson | Donald Trump - Not His Son - Is the Real Protagonist of the Russia Drama

14 July 17 PM It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GET SO LITTLE FUNDING! - I don't understand how most readers expect you to do everything for nothing. If we don't stand behind you all we get is propaganda. Real journalism is so rare today. We all should be protecting it. I am in my 70s and no longer working, but what you do is crucial if we ever plan on becoming a democracy finally. That's why I give every month. All take and no give back is a recipe for disaster, and we don't want to dis the stars! / Christine, RSN Reader-Supporter Sure, I'll make a donation!

Jill Abramson | Donald Trump - Not His Son - Is the Real Protagonist of the Russia Drama

Jill Abramson, Guardian UK
Abramson writes: "In the unfolding Russia scandal enveloping the White House, we are so fascinated - and entertained - by the supporting cast that we are losing sight of the man in the starring role, Donald J Trump."
READ MORE

Ex-Soviet Intel Agent Confirms: I Was in Trump Jr. Meeting, Too
Desmond Butler and Chad Day, Associated Press
Excerpt: "A Russian-American lobbyist says he attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump's son, marking another shift in the account of a discussion that was billed as part of a Russian government effort to help the Republican's White House campaign."
READ MORE

Trump Lawyer Marc Kasowitz Threatens Stranger in Emails: 'Watch Your Back.'
Justin Elliott, ProPublica
Elliot writes: "After hearing Rachel Maddow discuss our recent story about Kasowitz, a man emailed the attorney urging him to resign. Kasowitz responded with threats and profanity."
READ MORE

How Ivanka Trump's Fashion Line Collides With Her Father's 'America First' Agenda
Matea Gold, Drew Harwell, Maher Sattar and Simon Denyer, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "Those global journeys - along with millions of pounds of Ivanka Trump products imported into the United States in more than 2,000 shipments since 2010 - illustrate how her business practices collide with some of the key principles she and her father have championed in the White House."
READ MORE

That the Keebler Elf, Jeff Sessions now Attorney General would waste the court's time with such trivial nonsense defines his pettiness and his fragile ego.  This is NOT justice. Rather it's a perversion by a fascist. 

Judge Tosses Conviction of Female Protester Who Laughed During Jeff Sessions' Senate Hearing 

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News 

Schladebeck writes: "A D.C. judge tossed the jury's conviction of a 61-year-old protester who laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions Senate Confirmation hearing." 

READ MORE

Protesters hold signs at the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. senator Jeff Sessions. (photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

 D.C. judge tossed the jury’s conviction of a 61-year-old protester who laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions Senate Confirmation hearing.

Chief Judge E. Robert Morin of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia dismissed the guilty verdict on the grounds that the government made improper arguments during the trial of Desiree Fairooz, the Huffington Post reported.

The Code Pink protester was arrested for "disorderly and disruptive conduct" in January after laughing at an Alabama senator, who testified Sessions had a reputation for "treating all Americans equally under law."

Fairooz along with two other protesters, Tighe Barry and Lenny Bianchi, who dressed up as Ku Klux Klan members for the hearing, faced up to a year in prison.

Morin said it was “disconcerting” that the government in closing arguments said Fairooz’s laughter alone was enough for a conviction.

“The court is concerned about the government’s theory,” he said, adding the laughter "would not be sufficient" to submit the case to a jury.

Jurors previously told the news outlet it was Fairooz's behavior following her arrest that pushed them toward a guilty verdict.

"She did not get convicted for laughing," the jury foreperson told HuffPost at the time. "It was her actions as she was being asked to leave."

Fairooz in videos of her arrest can be seen shouting out in protest as she's escorted from the room by Capitol Police.

"Why am I being taken out of here? This man is evil!" she said of Sessions. "You're evil! Do not vote for Jeff Sessions! I was gonna be quite, now you're gonna have me arrested? For what, what for?"

Sessions federal judgeship nomination was rejected after he was accused of racial discrimination in the 1980s.

Fairooz's attorney ahead of the sentencing Friday, requested the jury verdict be tossed.

"Ms. Fairooz's brief reflexive burst of noise, be it laughter or an audible gasp, clearly cannot sustain a conviction for either of the counts in the information," defense lawyer Sam Bogash wrote in a court filing. "So the only other basis for her conviction to anything are her statements after the U.S. Capitol Police arrested her for that laughing. Those statements merely expressed surprise at being arrested."

Prosecutors pushed back however, claiming jurors "could reasonably infer that the laugh was a deliberate disruption" and "intentional," according to the Huffington Post.

Morin set a new trial date for Sept. 1.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/44672-judge-tosses-conviction-of-female-protester-who-laughed-during-jeff-sessions-senate-hearing

A Whistleblower Plays by the Rules at CIA, and Finds 'Nothing Gets Done' 

Tim Johnson, McClatchy DC 

Johnson writes: "Reidy, 46, anguishes over his charges, angry at the years-long delay in resolving his complaints but also wary of crossing a line and revealing anything classified beyond his allegations of a 'catastrophic intelligence failure' overseas." 

READ MORE

The Lead-to-Prison Pipeline
Yvette Cabrera, ThinkProgress
Excerpt: "'[Lead] can mean the difference between having a successful life, or one that leads to the justice system or incarceration or even a mental health institution. And it's very alarming,' said Medina."
READ MORE

---

Contribute to RSN

Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter

Update My Monthly Donation