Ingested Articles

Judge orders Justice Dept. to release Trump obstruction memo

A federal judge has ordered the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Donald Trump had not obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. The Justice Department had refused to give the memorandum of March 24, 2019, to a government transparency group that requested it under the Freedom of Information Act. But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the Justice Department had obscured “the true purpose of the memorandum” when it withheld the document.

Booker scores 31, Suns dominate OT to beat Cavs 134-118

Devin Booker scored 31 points, Chris Paul had 23 and 16 assists and the Phoenix Suns stayed in step with Utah atop the Western Conference by outlasting the under-manned Cleveland Cavaliers 134-118 in overtime on for their fifth straight win. Mikal Bridges made two 3-pointers, dunked and had a block as Phoenix scored the first 15 points in OT to finally put away the Cavs, who were missing six players with injuries. Phoenix outscored Cleveland 20-4 in the extra five minutes. Cavs rookie Isaac Okoro scored a season-high 32 points and Collin Sexton 29 for the Cavs, who lost their seventh straight.

LA, San Francisco lead California business reopening pace

Los Angeles and San Francisco have met state guidelines to move into the least-restrictive tier for businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. The two counties on Tuesday become the first urban areas in the state to reach the final stage of a phased reopening plan before a projected return to business as usual June 15. Because of the low number of COVID-19 infections and high number of vaccines administered, indoor bars can reopen, larger crowds can cheer on the Dodgers and Giants, and capacity can expand at restaurants, movie theaters, amusement parks, gyms and other establishments. 

Mets scratch deGrom because of tightness on right side

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was scratched from Tuesday night’s scheduled start against St. Louis because he was having trouble getting loose as he started to stretch ahead of his outing. Mets manager Luis Rojas said deGrom had a scan that showed inflammation of the latissimus dorsi muscle, a back muscle that connects the upper arm to the spine and the hip. DeGrom won’t throw for a few days. Rojas said he learned of the issue about eight hours before the Mets’ scheduled game against the Cardinals, which was rained out and rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader Wednesday, with both games set for seven innings.

Alonso cites fictional coach, unhappy with Mets change

Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor learned from phone messages that the New York Mets had fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater, a move that left players unhappy. New York made the announcement late Monday night, two days after the first baseman started to publicly mention the positive assistance of a new batting instructor who apparently is fictional. After Saturday night’s 5-4 win at Philadelphia, Alonso made a curious reference to the contributions of a new coach, Donnie Stevenson, who apparently doesn't exist.

Idaho legislative intern reports rape, is ID’d by lawmaker

From nearly the moment a 19-year-old intern’s report that she was raped by an Idaho lawmaker became public, she faced harassment from right-wing groups and even other lawmakers. One state lawmaker requested the intern's police report and asked if she could actually be referred for criminal charges. Another shared links with thousands of people about a blog post that included the intern’s name, photo and personal details about her life. An anti-government group's members tried to videotape the young woman after she testified in a hearing. The intern in an interview with The Associated Press described the harrassment as overwhelming. She wants the Legislature to protect others from similar harassment. 

GOP lawmaker: Three-Fifths Compromise was to end slavery

A Tennessee Republican has falsely declared that an 18th century policy designating a slave as three-fifths of a person was adopted for what he called “the purpose of ending slavery. ” Tennessee state Rep. Justin Lafferty made the remark Tuesday during a House debate on whether educators should be restricted while teaching about systematic racism in America. Several Black lawmakers expressed concerns about the bill’s impact on how certain subjects would be taught in schools, specifically highlighting the Three-Fifths Compromise. The policy was made in 1787 during the nation’s Constitutional Convention. It classified a slave as three-fifths of a person when apportioning taxes and states’ representation in Congress. 

Oregon extends COVID workplace mask rule indefinitely

Oregon has adopted a rule that indefinitely extends coronavirus mask and social distancing requirements for all businesses in the state. State officials say the rule will be in place until it is “no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace.” The rule has prompted a flood of angry responses, with everyone from parents to teachers to business owners and employees crying government overreach. Opponents have raised concerns that there is no sunset date or specific metrics for when the rule would automatically be repealed. As a result, Oregon OSHA says the final rule includes considerably more detail about the process and criteria that will be used to make the decision to repeal the rule.

US judge weighs if PG&E violated probation with 2019 fire

A federal judge is weighing whether Pacific Gas & Electric violated its criminal probation by sparking a wildfire north of San Francisco. The fire destroyed more than 100 homes and injured six firefighters in October 2019. Prosecutors and attorneys for PG&E appeared at a hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge William Alsup. The hearing came a month after the Sonoma County district attorney charged the company with five felony and 28 misdemeanor counts in the fire. PG&E has accepted investigators’ findings that its transmission line ignited the fire. But it has denied committing any crimes.

Chauvin's lawyer seeks new trial, hearing to impeach verdict

The defense attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd has requested a new trial, saying the court abused its discretion on several points. Defense attorney Eric Nelson also is seeking a hearing to impeach the verdict because of what he says is jury misconduct. Derek Chauvin was convicted last month of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25 death of Floyd. In a brief filed Tuesday, Nelson said the court violated Chauvin’s right to due process and a fair trial. The filing did not include details about how the jury committed alleged misconduct.

Brewers' Yelich back on injured list, 1 day after returning

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is going back on the injured list just one day after getting activated. The Brewers said Yelich was returning to the IL due to the lower back strain that has bothered the 2018 NL MVP for the last three weeks. The Brewers recalled outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Triple-A Nashville. Yelich went 2 for 4 at Philadelphia on Monday in his first game since April 11. He batting .353 with a .463 on-base percentage, no homers and one RBI in just 10 games.

LEADING OFF: DeGrom down for bit, Soto eases back with Nats

The Mets will see how ace Jacob deGrom fares this week after being scratched from his start at St. Louis when he had trouble getting loose during a pregame stretch. The team said deGrom had inflammation in his right lat and wouldn’t throw for the next few days. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner has been baseball’s most dominant pitcher this season, with a major league-best 0.51 ERA in five starts. Still, he is just 2-2 as New York continues to have trouble scoring runs for him. Also, Washington star Juan Soto will be limited to pinch-hitting duty for now after coming off the injured list.

Luzardo apologizes for breaking finger playing video game

Jesús Luzardo has played video games all his life. The Oakland lefty will continue to do so with fervor, even after the embarrassment of breaking the pinkie on his pitching hand while gaming. Luzardo has apologized to his teammates and Athletics manager Bob Melvin for the accident, which occurred Saturday when he banged his hand into a table while playing a video game four hours before a start. The 23-year-old Luzardo is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his finger. He called it a “stupid” and “immature” mistake.

Reds' Amir Garrett suspended for 7 games by MLB, appeals

Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett has been suspended for seven games by Major League Baseball. Garrett was penalized for inciting the events in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Garrett appealed the discipline and can continue to play until the process is complete. Garrett struck out Anthony Rizzo with one out in the eighth and celebrated by punching himself in the chest several times. Garrett and the Cubs' Javier Báez yelled, and benches and bullpens emptied.

Yellen clarifies she is not predicting Fed rate increases

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday that she is not predicting when the Federal Reserve may need to start raising interest rates. She was seeking to clarify her earlier remarks that rattled financial markets. Yellen suggested early…

Capitals' Wilson fined $5K for roughing Rangers' Buchnevich

Washington's Tom Wilson has been fined $5,000 by the NHL for roughing New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich. The fine is the maximum allowable for the incident under the league's collective bargaining agreement with players. Wilson was given a double-minor penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct after a scrum in which he appeared to punch Buchnevich who was face down on the ice and threw Artemi Panarin down to the ice. Panarin is out for the final three games of the regular season with an injury coach David Quinn says came from the incident with Wilson. This is Wilson's third fine in eight seasons.

Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills

Republican lawmakers around the country are pressing ahead with efforts to tighten voting laws, despite growing warnings from business leaders that the measures could harm democracy and the economic climate. More than 50 companies and business organizations on Tuesday released an open letter expressing opposition to “any changes” that would make it harder to vote in that state. The letter — signed by American Airlines, Microsoft Corp., HP Inc., Patagonia, Levi Strauss & Co and others — comes amid voting legislation that critics say would place disproportionate burdens on minority and disabled voters.

Facebook board's Trump decision could have wider impacts

Since the day after the deadly Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, former President Donald Trump’s social media accounts have been silent — muzzled for inciting violence using the platforms as online megaphones. On Wednesday, his fate on the biggest platform, Facebook, will be decided. The social media giant’s quasi-independent Oversight Board will announce its ruling around 9 a.m. ET. If it rules in Trump’s favor, Facebook has seven days to reinstate the account. If the board upholds Facebook’s decision, Trump will remain “indefinitely” suspended. Either decision could lead to major repercussions for U.S. politics and regulation of social media.

Campaign stunt, ads bring California recall into new phase

Two Republicans running for California governor have pitched themselves as “the beast" and a “compassionate disruptor" in new campaign ads. Businessman John Cox lost to Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018 and launched a campaign bus tour on Tuesday alongside a live Kodiak bear. He's painting himself as the beast to Newsom's “beauty," saying he can bring bold change to Sacramento. Former Olympian and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner calls herself a “compassionate disruptor" in her video. Its release marked her first time speaking about her candidacy since she entered the race. The videos mark a new phase in the recall election against Newsom that's expected later this year.

US report: Taliban will likely curtail Afghan women's rights

A new U.S. intelligence assessment says any gains in women’s rights in Afghanistan made in the last two decades will be at risk after the U.S. withdraws later this year. The unclassified report released Tuesday by the Director of National Intelligence says the Taliban remain “broadly consistent in its restrictive approach to women’s rights and would roll back much of the past two decades’ progress if the group regained national power.” It’s the latest U.S. warning of the consequences of the Afghan withdrawal now underway, two decades after an American-led coalition toppled the Taliban.

Biden pushes for diversity in transition to clean energy

NEW YORK (AP) — As the nation pushes to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and use cleaner energy sources, President Joe Biden’s administration says it wants to ensure diversity among the communities that benefit from the transition and the…

Kentucky Derby, NFL draft pull in television viewers

NEW YORK (AP) — Two sporting events last week — the Kentucky Derby and first round of the NFL draft — pulled in more television viewers than the Oscars, something inconceivable only a couple of years ago. The Nielsen company…

Bill and Melinda Gates divorce could shake up philanthropy

As much as billionaire couple Bill and Melinda Gates want to keep their pending divorce private, the split is already sending shockwaves through the worlds of philanthropy and public health. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of nearly $50 billion and donates about $5 billion annually to causes around the world. In a statement following the Gates’ divorce announcement on Twitter, the foundation said they would remain co-chairs and trustees and that no changes in the organization were planned. Experts note any changes that might happen because of the split would be incremental, but some worry the divorce might affect the foundation’s future plans.

Polish lawmakers OK spending plan for EU recovery funds

Polish lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve the nation’s spending plan for the 58 billion euros ($70 billion) it expects to receive from the European Union’s pandemic recovery plan. At a special parliament session, the vote was 290-33 in favor with…