Politics

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday will consider whether to impose the steepest sentence yet on two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters.

Prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to sentence Enrique Tarrio, the group’s former chairman, to 33 years in prison and to sentence his co-defendant Ethan Nordean, another former leader, to 27 years.

Those recommendations exceed the longest sentence handed out so far over the assault by the former president’s supporters on the seat of government, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes who was sentenced in May to serve 18 years.

The attack was meant to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election, which Trump falsely claims was the result of widespread fraud. Trump currently holds a wide lead in the race for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in 2024.

Prosecutors are asking the judge to agree to a terrorism enhancement for Tarrio and his co-defendants – a move that has the potential to add roughly 15 years to a prison term.

“These defendants and the men in their command saw themselves as the foot soldiers of the right — they were prepared to use, and they did use, force to stop the ‘traitors’ from stealing the election,’” federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol assault, and of those at least 570 have pleaded guilty and 78 have been convicted at trial. Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped to investigate broader efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has since charged Trump for trying to keep himself in power.

Attorneys for Tarrio and Nordean are asking the judge to reject the terrorism enhancement request.

“While the instant offenses are serious in nature, they are nowhere near and should not be grouped in the same category … as the heinous acts committed by individuals such as Timothy James McVeigh,” Tarrio’s attorneys wrote, referring to the man who carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and Nordean along with Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl of seditious conspiracy, a Civil War-era law that makes it a crime to conspire to oppose the government by force, and other felonies.

Biggs and Rehl are due to be sentenced on Thursday. Prosecutors are seeking 33 years for Biggs and 30 years for Rehl.

A fifth defendant – Dominic Pezzola – was acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge, but convicted alongside the others of other felonies including obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors are requesting a 20-year sentence for him.

All of the five defendants except Tarrio entered the Capitol during the attack. Prosecutors said they were among the first to charge past protective barricades.

Tarrio was not in Washington that day after being ordered by a judge to stay out of the city following a Jan. 4 arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a church. But prosecutors said he helped direct the attack from Baltimore.

Capitol Police described at a hearing on Tuesday the toll the attack took on them.

“I will never forget attempting to aid another officer and being violently dragged down by my riot shield,” wrote former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode, in a letter submitted to the court that a prosecutor read aloud.

Ode, whose riot shield was stolen by Pezzola, said that at one point during the assault he experienced a “vivid vision” of his own funeral as he gasped for air.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

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By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday will consider whether to impose the steepest sentence yet on two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters.

Prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to sentence Enrique Tarrio, the group’s former chairman, to 33 years in prison and to sentence his co-defendant Ethan Nordean, another former leader, to 27 years.

Those recommendations exceed the longest sentence handed out so far over the assault by the former president’s supporters on the seat of government, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes who was sentenced in May to serve 18 years.

The attack was meant to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election, which Trump falsely claims was the result of widespread fraud. Trump currently holds a wide lead in the race for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in 2024.

Prosecutors are asking the judge to agree to a terrorism enhancement for Tarrio and his co-defendants – a move that has the potential to add roughly 15 years to a prison term.

“These defendants and the men in their command saw themselves as the foot soldiers of the right — they were prepared to use, and they did use, force to stop the ‘traitors’ from stealing the election,’” federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol assault, and of those at least 570 have pleaded guilty and 78 have been convicted at trial. Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped to investigate broader efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has since charged Trump for trying to keep himself in power.

Attorneys for Tarrio and Nordean are asking the judge to reject the terrorism enhancement request.

“While the instant offenses are serious in nature, they are nowhere near and should not be grouped in the same category … as the heinous acts committed by individuals such as Timothy James McVeigh,” Tarrio’s attorneys wrote, referring to the man who carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and Nordean along with Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl of seditious conspiracy, a Civil War-era law that makes it a crime to conspire to oppose the government by force, and other felonies.

Biggs and Rehl are due to be sentenced on Thursday. Prosecutors are seeking 33 years for Biggs and 30 years for Rehl.

A fifth defendant – Dominic Pezzola – was acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge, but convicted alongside the others of other felonies including obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors are requesting a 20-year sentence for him.

All of the five defendants except Tarrio entered the Capitol during the attack. Prosecutors said they were among the first to charge past protective barricades.

Tarrio was not in Washington that day after being ordered by a judge to stay out of the city following a Jan. 4 arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a church. But prosecutors said he helped direct the attack from Baltimore.

Capitol Police described at a hearing on Tuesday the toll the attack took on them.

“I will never forget attempting to aid another officer and being violently dragged down by my riot shield,” wrote former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode, in a letter submitted to the court that a prosecutor read aloud.

Ode, whose riot shield was stolen by Pezzola, said that at one point during the assault he experienced a “vivid vision” of his own funeral as he gasped for air.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

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By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sentencing hearings for two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters were abruptly postponed on Wednesday.

Initially, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in a statement said the sentencing hearings would not proceed “due to an emergency,” but a court spokeswoman later clarified that there was no “emergency” and said a new sentencing schedule was being hashed out.

Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and another former leader Ethan Nordean were supposed to be the first of five Proud Boys to face sentencing this week, with three other co-defendants due to be sentenced on Thursday and Friday.

Nordean is now due to be sentenced on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. E.T., and Tarrio will be sentenced on Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. E.T., according to the court’s public docket.

Prosecutors are planning to ask U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to sentence Tarrio to 33 years in prison and Nordean to 27 years.

Those recommendations exceed the longest sentence handed out so far over the assault by the former president’s supporters on the seat of government, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced in May to serve 18 years.

The attack was meant to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election, which Trump falsely claims was the result of widespread fraud.

Trump currently holds a wide lead in the race for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in 2024.

Prosecutors also want the judge to agree to terrorism enhancement for Tarrio and his co-defendants – a move that has the potential to add roughly 15 years to a prison term.

“These defendants and the men in their command saw themselves as the foot soldiers of the right — they were prepared to use, and they did use, force to stop the ‘traitors’ from stealing the election,’” federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol assault, and of those at least 570 have pleaded guilty and 78 have been convicted at trial. Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped to investigate broader efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has since charged Trump for trying to keep himself in power.

Attorneys for Tarrio and Nordean will ask the judge to reject the terrorism enhancement request.

“While the instant offenses are serious in nature, they are nowhere near and should not be grouped in the same category … as the heinous acts committed by individuals such as Timothy James McVeigh,” Tarrio’s attorneys wrote, referring to the man who carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

In May, a jury convicted Tarrio and Nordean along with Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl of seditious conspiracy, a Civil War-era law that makes it a crime to conspire to oppose the government by force, and other felonies.

Biggs and Rehl were due to be sentenced on Thursday, but the new times for their hearings remains unclear.

Prosecutors are seeking 33 years for Biggs and 30 years for Rehl.

A fifth defendant – Dominic Pezzola – was acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge but convicted alongside the others of other felonies including obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors are requesting a 20-year sentence for him.

All of the five defendants except Tarrio entered the Capitol during the attack. Prosecutors said they were among the first to charge past protective barricades.

Tarrio was not in Washington that day after being ordered by a judge to stay out of the city following a Jan. 4 arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a church. But prosecutors said he helped direct the attack from Baltimore.

Capitol Police described at a hearing on Tuesday the toll the attack took on them.

“I will never forget attempting to aid another officer and being violently dragged down by my riot shield,” former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode wrote in a letter submitted to the court that a prosecutor read aloud.

Ode, whose riot shield was stolen by Pezzola, said that at one point during the assault he experienced a “vivid vision” of his own funeral as he gasped for air.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Mark Porter)

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By Sheila Dang

(Reuters) – X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, said Tuesday it would now allow political advertising in the U.S. from candidates and political parties and expand its safety and elections team ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Before billionaire Elon Musk acquired the company in October, Twitter had banned all political ads globally since 2019. In January, Twitter lifted the ban and began allowing “cause-based ads” in the U.S. that raise awareness of issues such as voter registration, and said it planned to expand the types of political ads it would allow on the platform.

The move to allow all political ads in the U.S. could help X grow its revenue at a time when many advertisers have fled or reduced spending on the platform for fear of appearing next to inappropriate content.

In a blog post on Tuesday, X said it would grow its teams to combat content manipulation and “emerging threats”.

The company said it would create a global advertising transparency center, which would let users see what political ads were being promoted on X, and added it would continue to prohibit political ads that spread false information or seek to undermine public confidence in an election.

The platform, like other social media companies, has long been criticized by researchers and lawmakers for not doing enough to prevent misleading or false content during major elections.

Since Musk’s acquisition, X in particular has faced questions about its readiness for the U.S. presidential election after laying off thousands of employees, including those who had worked on the trust and safety team.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge has ordered Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani to pay fines in a defamation case involving election workers in Georgia, a court filing showed on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson in Washington; editing by Ismail Shakil)

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By Jarrett Renshaw

(Reuters) – A barrage of state and federal criminal charges leveled against your main political rival should be good news for any democratic leader facing reelection, but Donald Trump’s legal woes present U.S. President Joe Biden with a unique challenge in the months ahead, political strategists say.

Biden has so far remained mum as his Republican predecessor was charged with 91 felony counts in four indictments this year related to paying hush money to a porn star, unlawfully keeping classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Don’t expect any change, Biden advisers and senior Democrats say, at least until after decisions are handed down in those trials.

However, sustaining that strategy, during the most contentious and consequential judicial actions in U.S. presidential history, will be severely tested in the coming months, political strategists say.

Expect Trump to use a series of criminal trials from New York City to Georgia and Florida in the months ahead to fuel a campaign deeply rooted in grievance politics. Biden has sought to use a routine schedule of presidential events – promoting the economy and infrastructure investments – to draw a contrast with Trump’s chaotic legal woes.

The trials, some carried live on television, are likely to dominate news cycles, providing Trump an unorthodox platform to rally supporters who have put him at the top of the Republican primary field and believe the former president is being politically persecuted, despite the evidence.

Biden’s less dramatic reelection efforts will likely draw less valuable free air time, and any effort to provide some counterprogramming will be complicated by the Democratic president’s decision to not wade into the charges or use them to frame the potential dangers to democracy posed by Trump.

“It’s going to be very tricky and a real tough balancing act,” said Jimmy Seagull, a Democratic strategist working on congressional races.

CONVICTION ‘CHANGES EVERYTHING?’

On the plus side for Democrats, the trials will keep the details of Trump’s unprecedented actions that led to the serious charges fresh in voters’ minds, giving Democrats and Biden an opportunity to provide a sharp contrast.

And all bets are off if Trump is convicted on any of the charges, some Democratic officials say.

“A conviction changes everything. You will then see a more detailed, forceful effort by the president to connect the crimes to a broader threat to the nation,” predicts a senior Democrat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

Biden’s campaign says there’s no such strategy underway. “Any senior Democrat who would say that is obviously not involved in strategic discussions at the campaign,” said campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz.

Until then, any Biden comment would fuel unfounded Republican attacks that the state and federal charges are politically motivated, and aides believe his silence reinforces a central tenet of his campaign: a return to normalcy.

“Anything he says or does could be perceived as putting a thumb on the scale and…would be exploited by Trump and his team to the detriment of the legal process. They don’t need to raise concerns. The news, perp walks, court appearances and evidence that continues to emerge say it all,” said Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist.

The White House and the reelection campaign are content to use the upcoming months – when Republicans are embroiled in a nasty nominating race – to pitch Americans on the success of Biden’s economic policies, interviews show.

His public approval rating held steady at 40% in early August, with concerns about the economy souring Americans’ opinion of his performance despite falling inflation, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.

“Increasing the president’s economic poll numbers requires lots of time, repeating numbers and a lot of message discipline. We can always go back to Trump,” said a senior Democrat involved in the reelection effort, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

Instead, the reelection campaign will try to draw attention to differences between the two candidates, officials say.

On Thursday, as Trump was surrendering to Georgia authorities and posing for an unprecedented mug shot, Biden’s campaign account on the X platform posted: “Apropos of nothing, I think today’s a great day to give to my campaign.”

Asked Friday if he’d seen Trump’s mug shot, Biden, who was emerging from a Pilates class during his Lake Tahoe vacation, told reporters “I did see it on television – handsome guy.”

TRUSTED VOICE?

America’s other living presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter — have also stayed mum, leaving the country without a trusted voice of political and moral authority who can lay out the seriousness of the charges against Trump.

Democratic former congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio recently launched a national advocacy group called “We the People,” aimed at organizing voters who feel exhausted by partisan politics. He said there is an alternative path for Biden that recognizes the historic moment in America while preserving the integrity of the investigation.

“I’m sure their calculation is that everything gets politicized, but I do think a firm statement just saying ‘Look, regardless of where you stand on tax rate or government spending or education policy, this is so far beyond that conversation. Any direct attempt to undermine the United States of America is a slap in the face of anyone who served the country. We’re better than that,’” Ryan said.

He said Biden could then refer to the statement when asked repeatedly about the unfolding events in the coming months.

Biden could “be firm, be clear and be done,” Ryan said.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing and additional reporting by Heather Timmons.)

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By Brad Brooks

(Reuters) – A special legislative session in Tennessee called by the state’s Republican governor in response to a deadly school shooting ended on Tuesday with no progress on gun safety laws, capped by a brief scuffle between opposing lawmakers.

Governor Bill Lee, in the special session which opened on Aug. 21, asked lawmakers to consider a “red flag” law and a number of other public safety measures he pitched in the wake of the murder of three children and three staff members at The Covenant School in March in Nashville.

But fellow Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state legislature, would not budge on their refusal to pass any laws they deem as threats to citizens’ right to own guns under the U.S. Constitution.

Two Democratic lawmakers who had reclaimed their seats after being expelled over a protest from the House of Representatives floor against gun violence in April confronted House Speaker Cameron Sexton as Republicans voted to end the special session on Tuesday.

A brief scuffle between the two Democrats, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, and the Republican speaker broke out, with shoves exchanged before other members stepped in to separate them.

Jones and Pearson, both of whom are Black members of the predominantly white House, have been outspoken proponents of new gun laws to help ease violence in the urban areas they represent.

After being expelled by Republicans from their seats in April, Jones and Pearson won back their seats in a special election.

Lawmakers did set aside extra funds for existing safety programs, prompting Lee, the governor, to say that “our state is safer today as a result of this session.”

That sentiment was not shared by Sarah Shoop Neuman, the parent of a Covenant student who lobbied lawmakers for new gun laws. After the session ended, she told reporters it was difficult for her to comprehend that children were murdered at school, yet lawmakers “took no meaningful action.”

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler)

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(Refiling to fix spelling of first name in headline to ‘Francis’ from ‘Frances’)

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced on Tuesday he is suspending his presidential campaign, becoming the first major Republican candidate to do so, after failing to qualify for the first primary debate held last week.

“While I have decided to suspend my campaign for President, my commitment to making this a better nation for every American remains,” he said in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.

Suarez, 45, entered the race in June. He described his vision for a youthful, upbeat and cross-cultural campaign in an interview with Reuters.

A Cuban-American who has sought to create a tech-driven economic boom in Miami, Suarez was the only Hispanic candidate in the Republican field and the third candidate from Florida, joining former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“I will continue to amplify the voices of the Hispanic community – the fastest-growing voting group in our country,” Suarez said in the online post in which he announced the suspension of his campaign.

In the post, the Republican also criticized the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden over issues like inflation and crime.

Suarez was always going to be a long shot in a race that has been dominated by Trump. Most opinion polls show DeSantis a distant second, with Suarez placed near the bottom of the pack of candidates.

Suarez has had thorny relationships with both Trump and DeSantis. He did not support Trump in his 2020 reelection bid and was critical of some of DeSantis’ COVID-19 pandemic-era policies.

Suarez had also drawn criticism for championing cryptocurrency firms such as the bankrupt FTX, which bought naming rights to Miami’s basketball arena but was then forced to surrender them.

However, the city has seen an influx of more traditional tech companies and wealthy investors during his tenure, as well as a construction boom that has helped contribute to Miami’s reputation as a top international tourism destination.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)

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By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) – South Carolina’s top court on Tuesday declined to reconsider a recent ruling upholding the state’s ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which opponents say will prevent women from terminating pregnancies after about six weeks.

The South Carolina Supreme Court on a 4-1 vote rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to reconsider its Aug. 23 ruling, which they said left unanswered what constitutes a “fetal heartbeat” under the Republican-backed law.

Planned Parenthood said the court had left undecided whether fetal cardiac activity refers to the first regular contractions of heart tissue, which usually occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, or whether it requires the four chambers of the heart to be fully formed – which is usually not until 17 to 20 weeks.

Planned Parenthood urged the court to adopt the latter definition, saying since the court’s ruling it had been forced to halt all abortions after about six weeks, which is before many women realize they are pregnant.

In a joint statement, Planned Parenthood and others involved in the case including abortion provider Greenville Women’s Clinic expressed disappointment and said they will “continue to fight to restore abortion access for all South Carolinians.”

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, in a statement welcomed the decision. “The right to life is foremost and absolutely must be protected and prioritized,” he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide, prompting Republican-led states including South Carolina to ban or severely curtail the ability of women to obtain abortions.

The Republican-led state legislature passed the hotly contested bill in May, mostly along party lines.

The new law came after the state Supreme Court in January struck down a similar abortion law, by a 3-2 vote. Justice Kaye Hearn, who was the court’s only female judge and voted against the law, has since retired.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – California moved closer to becoming the first U.S. state to ban caste discrimination after a bill to outlaw the practise passed the California Assembly late on Monday.

U.S. discrimination laws ban ancestry discrimination but do not explicitly ban casteism. California’s legislation targets the caste system in South Asian immigrant communities by adding caste to the list of categories protected under the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

The bill was introduced and authored by state Senator Aisha Wahab, an Afghan American Democrat, in March. An earlier version of it passed the state Senate before undergoing revisions.

The bill was passed on Monday by the state Assembly with a near unanimous vote. The revised version will now move back for a vote to the state Senate, where it is expected to pass, before heading to the desk of California Governor Gavin Newsom to be signed into law.

Activists opposing caste discrimination say it is no different from other forms of discrimination like racism and hence should be outlawed.

The movement to fight the caste system in North America has picked up energy in recent months.

Earlier this year, Seattle became the first U.S. city to outlaw caste discrimination after a city council vote and Toronto’s school board became the first in Canada to recognize that caste discrimination existed in the city’s schools.

The issue is particularly important to Americans of Indian descent and Hindus.

The caste system is among the world’s oldest forms of rigid social stratification. It dates back thousands of years and allows many privileges to upper castes but represses lower castes. The Dalit community is on the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system; members have been treated as “untouchables.”

India outlawed caste discrimination over 70 years ago, yet several studies in recent years show that bias persists. One study found people from lower castes were underrepresented in higher-paying jobs.

Dalits still face widespread abuse across India, where their attempts at upward social mobility have at times been violently put down.

Debate over the caste system in India and abroad is contentious and intertwined with religion. Some people say discrimination is now rare, especially outside India. Indian government policies reserving seats for lower-caste students at top Indian universities have helped many land tech jobs in the West in recent years.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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