Report: Matt Gaetz sought a preemptive pardon from Trump
Not long before former President Donald Trump left office, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) privately approached the White House and asked for blanket preemptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies to cover any crimes they may have committed, two people with knowledge of the discussions told
Last week, the
Timesreported that Gaetz is the subject of a Justice Department investigation into whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, traveled with her across state lines, and paid women he recruited to have sex. People familiar with the matter told the
Times this is part of a larger probe into one of Gaetz s associates, Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector of Seminole County, Florida. Greenberg has been charged with child sex trafficking.
COVID-19 opened doors to takeout cocktails, outdoor dining. States are now deciding whether to close them.
When bars and restaurants closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many state and local governments suspended alcohol regulations to allow customers to order takeout premixed cocktails and drink in newly expanded outdoor dining areas. Now that the end of the pandemic is in sight, hopefully, there s a battle brewing over whether to make those changes permanent, Before the pandemic, just a few places allowed bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails, including a handful of local areas such as New Orleans, the
Training officer testifies Chauvin was taught to avoid putting pressure on a suspect s neck
Lt. Johnny Mercil, the Minneapolis Police Department s use-of-force instructor, testified on Tuesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin s trial that when officers are taught ways to restrain aggressive suspects, they are shown how to place their knee on a back or shoulder and told to stay away from the neck when possible.
Chauvin, 45, is facing murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man who died on May 25, 2020, while being arrested in Minneapolis on suspicion of using a fake $20 bill. A bystander recorded Chauvin with his knee on Floyd s neck for more than nine minutes, and Floyd is heard in the video saying he cannot breathe. Chauvin s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, has argued in court that Chauvin was doing exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career.
Academy says Oscar nominees and guests qualify as essential workers
The Oscars are sticking with their plan of putting on the mid-pandemic show in person â meaning nominees will evidently be considered essential workers.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a letter Tuesday said Oscar nominees qualify to receive an essential work waiver to attend the award show later this month, Those involved in the Oscars production, like nominees and their guest, qualify for the essential work purpose waiver, and therefore are permitted to travel to and from the testing center, rehearsals, and Academy-organized activities during the lead up to the Oscars production, including, of course, the award show, the letter said. The organizers of the Oscars are implementing a required quarantine to capture the risk of each person attending the event.