Pleas of not guilty: All 19 defendants who were indicted for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election in Georgia have entered pleas of not guilty. Today was the deadline for them to either appear in person for arraignment or send in a document waiving arraignment and entering a plea. Meanwhile, this afternoon’s court hearing in Georgia regarding trial scheduling presided over by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee marks the first court session in the case to be televised. He’ll also consider whether to grant requests by Trump Attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell for speedy trials separate from the trials of others who were indicted.
Prison sentence: Former Proud Boys National Chairman Enrique Tarrio has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in organizing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to overthrow the government. His sentence was the longest among the five Proud Boys leaders convicted of leading the attack. There is no parole in the federal prison system and prisoners are expected to serve at least 85% of the sentences they are given. The Proud Boys leaders as well as others sentenced to prison for the Jan. 6 attack have expressed the expectation that Donald Trump will pardon them if he’s again elected president.
Sanctions sought: New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked the State Supreme Court to issue monetary sanctions against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, their attorneys and others. She says they should be sanctioned for repeatedly filing documents that rehash arguments that have been determined to be frivolous and rejected in the lawsuit she has pending against the Trumps. The lawsuit demands at least $250 million in damages for allegedly falsifying financial information they provided to banks, insurance companies and others..
Hot summer: Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that the Earth has experienced the hottest summer since weather record keeping began. It is estimated that June, July and August were hot enough to have broken the barrier that many climate scientists believe will lead to catastrophic effects of climate change. One impact is warmer ocean water, and a newly-formed tropical storm named Lee is in the Caribbean and is expected to grow into a hurricane by this weekend.
North Carolina lawsuit: A North Carolina Supreme Court Justice has filed a federal lawsuit against the state’s Judicial Standards Commission, which has started an investigation of her over comments she made alleging a lack of diversity in North Carolina’s court system. Justice Anita Earls said that her comments were protected free speech. She is one of two Black justices on North Carolina’s Supreme Court. Her lawsuit alleges a pattern of intrusive investigations into her as a result of anonymous complaints.
China bans devices: The Wall Street Journal reports that China has banned government workers from using of iPhones and other electronic devices made outside of China. The Journal says that it’s the latest move by the Chinese government to reduce reliance on technology from overseas, both for economic and security reasons. It’s believed the Chinese government is concerned that electronic devices made outside of China could be programmed to steal Chinese data.
