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- Supreme Court Denies Appeal from Texas Death Row Inmate Even Though the Prosecut...
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File The Supreme Court of the United States denied an appeal from a death row inmate in Texas on Monday, despite motions in support filed by both his defense attorneys and the prosecutors who handled his case. Victor Saldaño was convicted and sentenced to death in Collin County, Texas in 1996 for a robbery and murder. According to The Texas Tribune, “Saldaño and an accomplice forced [the victim] into their car at gunpoint in Plano and drove him to a secluded area, where they robbed him and shot him several times.” In 2024, Saldaño petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to be able to present evidence that he was intellectually disabled and therefore it would be unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment to execute him, pursuant to a 2002 Supreme Court case, Atkins v. Virginia. The evidence he wanted to use included “three IQ tests — including one from the state — that found Saldaño within the range for intellectual disability, as well as interviews with 13 people who knew him before and during his incarceration,” reported the Tribune. The TCCA denied Saldaño’s petition and he appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. In a very unusual move, the Collin County prosecutors filed a brief supporting Saldaño’s petition and agreeing with his attorneys’ argument that he had “made a prima facie showing that he is intellectually disabled under Atkins…both Saldaño’s experts and the State’s expert agree that he meets the criteria for [intellectual disability] under Atkins.” But the Supreme Court disagreed, in a 6-3 decision. Saldaño’s petition for a writ of certiorari was denied without a written opinion, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote a 6-page dissent. “Here, every expert to have evaluated petitioner Victor Saldaño has concluded that he is intellectually disabled,” wrote Sotomayor. “As a result, both Saldaño and the State of Texas asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) to remand for a trial court to review the relevant evidence and decide whether Saldaño can be executed consistent with the Eighth Amendment. Yet the TCCA refused that modest step.” Sotomayor noted that the evidence gathered from Saldaño’s childhood included having to repeat sixth grade, having “difficulty bathing, feeding, and clothing himself,” an incident in which he “‘spent two days without food, a bathroom, or anything… [TheTopNews] Read More.29 mins ago - Carlos Mencia Pleads Not Guilty to Tax Evasion as His Attorneys Slam ‘Absurd S...
Screenshot via KTLA 5 Comedian Carlos Mencia pleaded not guilty to tax evasion as his attorneys claim California law enforcement agents used an “absurd show of force” in his June 18 arrest. Following the arrest, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a news conference that the comedian failed to report $8.7 million in earnings and owes more than $300,000 in CA state taxes from 2019 to 2024. Hochman also branded Mencia “one of California’s biggest tax scofflaws.” Overall, Mencia faces six felony counts for failure to file a corporate income tax return with the intent to evade tax and another six felony counts for failure to file a personal income tax return with the intent to evade tax, according to Rolling Stone. Mencia, who is perhaps best known for creating and hosting Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia sketch series, pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts of tax evasion during Monday’s arraignment. If convicted of all charges, he could face up to 11 years and four months in state prison. Although his bail was originally set to $250,000, it was reduced to $50,000 Monday afternoon at the behest of his attorneys, after which Mencia made bail, with The New York Post reporting he stuck out his tongue and laughed as he left the Los Angeles Superior Court. His release comes after his attorneys filed an emergency motion in the Van Nuys courthouse. The California Post reportedly obtained a copy of the motion. “No one argues against the obligation to pay taxes,” the motion purportedly reads. “But the raid at his home with multiple law enforcement agents, screaming ‘search warrant’ with a bullhorn, and drawing guns was an absurd show of force for the alleged offenses that do not involve weapons, drugs or violence.” The emergency motion also reportedly claims Mencia’s “disputed income predates the tax case,” according to The New York Post, and argues his incarceration cost him up to $40,000 in lost income from four nights of missed comedy performances. “The defendant has now already paid a steep price by damaging his national reputation, incarcerating him for several days without the opportunity to post bail and missing out on four nights of a booked venue where he could have earned up to $40,000 that he would have willingly paid to the Franchise Tax Board to start to pay back any taxes owed,” the filing reportedly states. In the filing,… [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - Trump Threatened 10 Years in Prison for Vandalizing Reflecting Pool, But Protest...
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite President Donald Trump has reacted furiously to the troubles plaguing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, claiming they were caused by vandals and threatening ten-year prison sentences. Even if that were true, his own prosecutors have handed out far more lenient sentences for arguably more serious damage. Trump’s decision to drain the pool and paint the bottom “American Flag Blue” has been criticized for its cost, plus the no-bid $14 million contract that was given to an ally. Since the pool was refilled, bright green algae have spread throughout the water and the paint has been peeling away. Reporters have seen tourists tearing off pieces of the paint to bring home as souvenirs. The government has sent out work crews to try to combat the algae through various means, including “hydro-vacuums” and pouring hydrogen peroxide into the water. That appears to have been an inadequate fix, initially killing off some of the algae along the outer edges of the Reflecting Pool and possibly even causing or exacerbating the peeling paint. Tests conducted by two scientists on behalf of a reporter from The Atlantic found that a new “more aggressive” type of algae was spreading throughout the water. On Saturday, former Olympian David Hearn was arrested and hit with a misdemeanor charge for destruction of government property when he stopped at the Reflecting Pool to check it out. “I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece,” Hearn told The Washington Post. “It was still attached to the bottom. I didn’t remove anything.” “I didn’t vandalize anything,” he insisted. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.” Trump has written multiple Truth Social posts accusing unnamed vandals of damaging the Reflecting Pool, blaming “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE” for the peeling paint and other issues. On Monday, the president again vented his frustrations in a Truth Social post, claiming that vandals had put a “300 foot long gash” in the Reflecting Pool’s paint and “chemicals have been illegally placed in the water.” “Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – Which will be fully enforced!” Trump added. Except, as Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney pointed out, Trump’s Department of… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - Trump Says He’s ‘Preparing Lawsuits Against ABC for False Reporting’
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik President Donald Trump said his administration is about to sue ABC over its reporting on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. For weeks, Trump bragged about the ongoing renovations of the Reflecting Pool, but since their completion, the pool has been plagued by algae blooms. Last week, visitors began to notice paint peeling away from the bottom. The algae has given the pool a distinct green hue instead of the intended American flag blue. Some tourists have reportedly been ripping off pieces of loose paint to take as souvenirs. Trump has insisted the Reflecting Pool is in bad shape because vandals dumped fertilizer into it. However, he has provided no evidence for his claim. On Monday night, the president went on Truth Social and wrote that a lawsuit is headed ABC’s way. He accused ABC News of not reporting that his two predecessors spent $100 million to renovate the pool, a figure which he appears to have made up, as President Joe Biden oversaw no major work on it. Meanwhile, the Obama administration spent $35 million on the pool. Trump wrote: In describing the Vandalism that took place at the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., ABC FAKE NEWS, one of the worst in the business, even paying me $16,000,000 for past bad and inaccurate reporting, failed to report that their close “friends,” Dumocrats Obama and Biden, spent over 100 Million Dollars on the Reflecting Pool, and it never worked. In fact, it was rarely open due to leaks and “stench.” They wanted to spend 300 to 400 Million Dollars, but just let it ROT. I spent approximately 16 Million Dollars, and it came out great, except for the Vandalism, which we are now fixing. It was also a much bigger job than originally envisioned, including the outer areas and sidewalks. We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting. I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl reported from the Reflecting Pool last week. “Fourteen million dollars was spent to drain this whole thing and to paint the bottom American flag blue,” Karl said, standing next to the pool. “As you can see, it’s all green now. They know that. They’re trying to kill the algae. But as they’re doing that, something else has happened.” In the video, Karl reached down and… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - NY Daily News Staff ‘Mortified’ at Paper Running ‘Deceptive’ Faux Front ...
AP Photo/Anthony Izaguirre Staff at the New York Daily News said they are “mortified” after the paper allowed a political campaign to run a mock front page ad that made it seem like the paper had endorsed the candidate. Democrat Alex Bores, who is running in New York’s 12th congressional district primary, is pictured in the controversial mock front page ad with the faux headline, “Taking on the Powerful and Standing Up For Us!” and a call to action: “Send a Fighter to Washington.” While the words “paid political advertisement” are written at the top of the ad, they appear in a much smaller font than that of the mock headline and call to action. A disclosure at the very bottom of the spread states that it was paid for by the pro-AI Jobs and Democracy PAC, published in an even tinier font. The X account for the Daily News’ unionized staff, @NYDNUnion, shared a post expressing the staff’s dismay at the front page spread. “This looks like an endorsement, but its not — the wood of the Daily News should not be for sale! Our staff was mortified to wake up to a front page covered by a deceptive political ad for two days straight,” the post reads. In the post, the staff goes on to slam Heath Freeman and his investment firm. Freeman is the President and Managing Director at Alden Global Capital, which owns the Daily News, having acquired the paper through its $633 million acquisition of the Tribune Publishing chain in 2021. “Shame on Heath Freeman and Alden for selling our good name for a buck,” the Daily News Union wrote. The move has also been widely slammed online, with LA Times media reporter Stephen Battaglio blasting the paper’s lack of standards via social media. “I know standards are now gone,” Battaglio wrote on X. “But a faux front page ad for a candidate? Not good @NYDailyNews.”The post NY Daily News Staff ‘Mortified’ at Paper Running ‘Deceptive’ Faux Front Page Political Endorsement: ‘Selling Our Good Name for a Buck’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - Chuck Todd Says the ‘Only Reason’ People Think Obama Is Liberal ‘Is Becaus...
Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd said the “only reason” that people think former President Barack Obama is liberal is “because he’s Black.” Todd claimed Obama “radicalized the far right” in an appearance on Monday’s episode of the So What podcast with host Chris Cillizza. “The far right viewed Obama as some left winger when Obama was basically a degree more liberal than Bill Clinton,” Todd said. Cillizza agreed, calling Obama “temperamentally a moderate,” though “probably liberal on policy.” However, Todd pushed back on the latter. “What policy was he that liberal on, Chris?” he asked. “It’s one of the biggest—” Cillizza cut him off to offer up his own explanation with a chuckle: “It’s because he was Black.” “Thank you, the only reason people think he was liberal is because he’s Black,” Todd said. “Like it’s this, he governed more closely to George W. Bush than Donald Trump.” Todd was critical of Obama throughout his presidency. In 2014, after Obama announced he would not consider any executive action on immigration until after midterms, he joined Todd on Meet the Press for a grilling. “What do you tell the person that’s going to get deported before the election, that this decision was essentially made in your hopes of saving a Democratic Senate?” Todd pressed. “It looks like election year politics.”’ Last month, Cillizza and Todd came under fire when White House Communications Director Steven Cheung accused them of racism following remarks the two made on The Chuck ToddCast. “Is he a real person?” Todd said of Cheung. “If you told me Steven Cheung were like a creation of AI… I just don’t believe he actually exists. I don’t think I’ve ever physically seen him.” He added, “He’s so over-the-top. No actual human being with 10 seconds of political training would behave this way.” Watch above via X.The post Chuck Todd Says the ‘Only Reason’ People Think Obama Is Liberal ‘Is Because He’s Black’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago
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