US NATIONAL NEWS
District attorney in Georgia election case against Trump and others seeks protections for jurors
Published
3 years agoon
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia prosecutor who has brought charges accusing former President Donald Trump and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state is asking the judge in the case to take steps to protect jurors.
The preemptory step by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis comes after the grand jurors who returned the 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others were subjected to harassment when their information was posted online. It’s a reflection of the highly polarized feelings surrounding the criminal cases against the former president.
Willis wrote in a motion filed Wednesday that the grand jurors’ information was posted “with the intent to harass and intimidate them.” Additionally, the motion said, the personal information of Willis, a Black woman, and that of her family and staff have been posted online ”intertwined with derogatory and racist remarks.”
News cameras are frequently allowed in the courtroom for trial proceedings in Georgia, but video and still photographers are regularly instructed not to show images of the jury. During the jury selection process, the prospective jurors are typically referred to by number rather than by name.
Willis is asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to prohibit defendants, the news media or anyone else from creating or publishing images — including video, photos and drawings — of jurors or prospective jurors. She is also asking that the judge prohibit the publication of any information that would help identify them, “specifically physical descriptions, telephone numbers, addresses, employer names and membership affiliations.”
Legal experts have said it’s standard for indictments in Georgia to include the names of the grand jurors, in part because it provides defendants the opportunity to challenge the composition of the grand jury. So the names of the 23 grand jurors who heard the district attorney’s evidence and voted to approve charges were included on the indictment. They immediately became the victims of “doxxing,” which is short for “dropping dox” or documents, and refers to the online posting of information about someone, generally in an attempt to harass, threaten, shame or exact revenge.
It is “clearly foreseeable” that that would happen to trial jurors if their names were made public, and that could jeopardize their “ability to decide the issues before them impartially and without outside influence,” affecting the defendants’ right to a fair and impartial jury, Willis argued.
Attached to Willis’ motion were sworn statements from Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and an investigator in Willis’ office.
Schierbaum said that listings of the grand jurors’ information “called for harassment and violence against the grand jurors” and that his department worked with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies to ensure safety measures were put in place to protect them. Those efforts “require a significant devotion of our capacity and represent a strain on law enforcement resources to allow them to complete their civic duty without being subjected to unnecessary danger.”
Information about Willis and the grand jurors was posted on the dark web, a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialized tools that provide anonymity, district attorney’s investigator Gerald Walsh wrote.
The site where the information was posted is hosted in Russia and is known by federal authorities to be “uncooperative with law enforcement.” Users who post on that site have made similar posts about other prosecutors, judges, federal employees and their families in other states as well, Walsh wrote.
You may like
Politics
State Rep. Angie Nixon Condemns Deadly ICE Shooting, Calls for Independent Investigation
Published
4 days agoon
July 10, 2026JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Following the fatal shooting of 52-year-old father and construction worker Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and Florida State Representative Angie Nixon released the following statement:
Statement from Rep. Angie Nixon
“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a father who spent decades building homes and providing for his family. He was fatally shot in the street by an ICE agent operating from an unmarked vehicle. My heart breaks for his wife and three sons.
“Our nation faces a moral choice. We must stop investing billions of taxpayer dollars in an agency that, in my view, terrorizes communities, operates with too little accountability, and often conducts enforcement actions without body cameras or clear identification. Those resources should instead be invested in strengthening our communities and helping families meet their basic needs. I believe ICE should be abolished.
“I stand in full solidarity with Lorenzo’s family in calling for a fully independent and transparent investigation into his death. I also call for the immediate release of his brother and the other individuals who were detained during this incident if they are being held without legal justification.”
Key Points
- Rep. Angie Nixon expressed condolences to the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
- She called for a fully independent and transparent investigation into the fatal shooting.
- Nixon criticized ICE’s enforcement practices and renewed her call to abolish the agency.
- She urged the release of Lorenzo’s brother and others detained during the incident if their continued detention is not legally justified.
US NATIONAL NEWS
U.S. Expands Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Financial Networks and Regime Financiers
Published
4 days agoon
July 10, 2026WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The Trump administration announced a new round of sanctions Friday targeting individuals and businesses accused of helping finance Iran’s ruling elite and facilitating international financial transactions on behalf of the Iranian regime.
The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, target a global financial network that U.S. officials say supports Iran’s Supreme Leader and other senior regime officials.
Global Financial Network Targeted
According to the administration, the sanctions focus on Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based Iranian national accused of managing an extensive network of real estate and commercial holdings across multiple countries on behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and other regime insiders.
U.S. officials said the network includes assets and business interests in:
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Cyprus
- United Arab Emirates
- Other international jurisdictions
The administration alleges the network has been used to help Iranian regime officials maintain access to international financial markets.
Currency Exchange Houses Sanctioned
The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on three Iran-based currency exchange firms and their associated leadership:
- Mohammad Darbani and Partners
- Lavasani and Partners
- Mohsen Khandan and Partners
The sanctions also extend to the firms’ managing partners and affiliated front companies.
According to the administration, these entities allegedly enabled Iran to obtain foreign currency and conduct international financial transactions despite existing U.S. sanctions.
Administration Cites Maximum Pressure Campaign
The White House said the latest designations are part of President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to increase economic pressure on Iran.
Administration officials said they will continue targeting individuals, businesses and financial institutions—including foreign entities—that facilitate illicit Iranian commerce or assist the regime in evading U.S. sanctions.
The administration maintains that the sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to end what it describes as destabilizing activities in the region and to hold accountable those who enable corruption within the Iranian government.
Authorities Used for Sanctions
The sanctions were imposed under multiple executive authorities, including:
- Executive Order 13902, targeting Iran’s financial and petroleum sectors.
- Executive Order 13876, focusing on Iran’s Supreme Leader and affiliated individuals.
- Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, which provides counterterrorism sanctions authority.
Treasury officials said the latest designations build upon previous actions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeting Iran’s shadow banking system and currency exchange networks.
US NATIONAL NEWS
White House: Trump Administration Deports Convicted Child Sex Offender After Minnesota Pardon
Published
4 days agoon
July 10, 2026WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The White House announced Friday that the Trump administration deported a Laotian national convicted of sexually abusing a child after Minnesota officials granted him a pardon.
Conviction and Deportation
According to the White House, Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national, was convicted in Minnesota of repeatedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. An immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States in 2006.
The White House said Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated Vang’s legal status, allowing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out his deportation.
White House Criticizes Minnesota Leaders
The administration sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, alleging they attempted to prevent Vang’s deportation by granting him a pardon.
In a statement, the White House accused the two Democratic leaders of placing the interests of a convicted child sex offender ahead of public safety and federal immigration enforcement.
The administration argued the deportation demonstrates President Donald Trump’s commitment to removing noncitizens convicted of serious crimes from the United States.
Administration Statement
The White House said the case underscores the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.
“Under President Trump, criminal illegal aliens who rape children will be found, arrested, and removed,” the White House said.
The administration also asserted that state actions would not prevent federal immigration authorities from enforcing U.S. immigration law.
Political Dispute
The case has become part of the broader national debate over immigration enforcement and the relationship between state criminal justice decisions and federal immigration authority.
Minnesota officials have not been included in the White House announcement, and any response from Gov. Walz, Attorney General Ellison or their offices was not immediately available.
Trending
World4 days agoU.S., CARICOM IMPACS Sign Landmark Biometrics Data-Sharing Agreement to Strengthen Border Security
Florida4 days agoVilchez Santiago Wins Union Backing; Daisy Morales Says Voters — Not Political Endorsements — Decide Elections
Central Florida News4 days agoOrlando Police Arrest Three Following Shooting at West Lakes Apartment Complex
World4 days agoCARICOM Leaders Unveil Regional Measures to Combat Rising Cost of Living
US NATIONAL NEWS4 days agoU.S. Expands Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Financial Networks and Regime Financiers