Michael Avenatti, U.S. lawyer who battled Trump, goes on trial in fraud case

Lawyer Michael Avenatti, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, goes on trial on Monday on charges he defrauded his former client, adult film star Stormy Daniels, whom he represented in cases against Trump. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Avenatti, 50, embezzled https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-avenatti/u-s-lawyer-michael-avenatti-gets-trial-date-on-charges-of-stealing-from-ex-client-idUSKBN1WN2DP $300,000 in book contract proceeds intended for Daniels, in part by forging her signature in a letter to an agent.

Firefighters gaining control of wildfire that closed scenic California highway

Firefighters gained greater control on Sunday of a wildfire that closed northern California’s scenic coastal highway and threatened a famous bridge, although about 500 people stayed under evacuation orders, officials said. The so-called Colorado Fire, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Monterey and just north of the area known as Big Sur, broke out on Friday night and crossed the Pacific Coast Highway, burning for a time on the ocean side of the road.

Arizona Democratic Party formally censures Sinema

The executive committee of the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) formally censured U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema over her vote against changing rules in the chamber to steer through voting rights legislation, the state party said on Saturday. Sinema was one of two Democratic senators who joined with Republicans to vote against lowering the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to 50 so that the Senate could pass voting rights bill without bipartisan support.

Aerial surveys detect dozens of methane ‘super-emitters’ in Permian

Around 30 oil and gas facilities across the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico spewed large amounts of methane for three years, emitting the equivalent climate pollution from half a million cars, according to a report released on Monday. The facilities, which include well pads, pipelines, compressor stations and processing facilities, were observed as “persistently” emitting large volumes of methane over the three years of aerial surveys done by the Environmental Defense Fund and research group Carbon Mapper.

Oath Keepers founder Rhodes to seek release ahead of U.S. sedition trial

U.S. prosecutors on Monday will argue that Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers, should remain in custody while he awaits trial on seditious conspiracy https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-built-textbook-case-sedition-charges-capitol-attack-legal-experts-2022-01-14 charges for his alleged role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Rhodes will have a detention hearing at 10:00 a.m. CST (1600 GMT) before a judge in federal court in Plano, Texas.

Sarah Palin’s defamation trial against New York Times set to begin

Sarah Palin and the New York Times are set to face off in a New York courtroom on Monday at a trial in which the 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor seeks to hold the newspaper liable for defamation. Palin, 57, has accused the Times and its former editorial page editor James Bennet of damaging her reputation in a June 14, 2017, editorial linking her to a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that killed six people and wounded U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords.

Derek Chauvin’s ex-colleagues face trial over deadly Minneapolis arrest

A jury was due to hear opening statements on Monday in the federal civil rights trial of three former Minneapolis police officers who took part in the deadly arrest of George Floyd. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are charged with violating Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest of the handcuffed Black man on a road outside a Minneapolis grocery store in May 2020, video of which sparked street protests against racism and police brutality around the world.

White House to hold second Competition Council meet on Monday -federal officials

The White House is set to hold the second meeting of its Competition Council on Monday, federal agencies said on Sunday. Officials from two federal agencies told Reuters about the meeting and that their departments planned to attend. The White House did not confirm the meeting would take place but said President Joe Biden would meet on Monday “with members of his administration on efforts to lower prices for working families.”

U.S. Capitol riot probe to report any phony elector evidence to Justice Dept-chairman

The U.S. House probe of the deadly assault on the Capitol will share with federal prosecutors any evidence of potential crimes aimed at pushing phony Republican electors in states won by Democratic President Joe Biden, the committee’s chairman said on Sunday. The House of Representatives Select Committee on Jan. 6 is looking for evidence that Republican officials in some states sought to nominate their own slates of electors, rather than those chosen by voters in 2020, panel chairman Representative Bernie Thompson told CBS News.

Pro-Trump death threats prompt bills in 3 states to protect election workers

In Vermont, lawmakers are considering bills to make it easier to prosecute people who threaten election officials. In Maine, proposed legislation would stiffen penalties for such intimidation. In Washington, state senators voted this month to make threatening election workers a felony. The measures follow a Reuters series of investigative reports documenting a nationwide wave of threats and harassment against election administrators by Donald Trump supporters who embrace the former president’s false voting-fraud claims. Sponsors and supporters of the legislation in all three states cited Reuters reporting as an impetus for proposing tougher enforcement.