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Michigan judge tosses charges against ‘fake electors’ : NPR

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Michigan District Court Judge Kristen Simmons speaks Tuesday in Lansing while dismissing the criminal cases against 15 people accused of acting falsely as electors for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

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A Michigan judge has dismissed criminal charges against 15 people who signed false certificates saying Donald Trump won the state’s electoral votes in 2020. Trump lost the state and the presidency to Joe Biden.

It’s the latest loss in prosecutors’ efforts to hold accountable people associated with Trump’s attempt to overturn his election loss.

In May, an Arizona judge sent that state’s so-called “fake elector” case back to a grand jury. The Nevada case is stuck in a jurisdictional appeal after a court dismissed the case last year. In Georgia, the Fulton County district attorney’s office is fighting to keep its prosecution alive after a court ruled that the DA’s office should be removed from the case.

And, notably, the federal election interference case against Trump himself was dropped when he was reelected president.

In Michigan, Judge Kristen Simmons dismissed the charges during a court hearing Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence.

“This is a fraud case, and we have to prove intent,” the judge said. “And I don’t believe there’s evidence sufficient to prove intent.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced the charges more than two years ago. Sixteen people were originally indicted, but charges were dropped against one of them in exchange for their cooperation.

As Nessel’s office said in a statement in 2023: “These defendants are alleged to have met covertly in the basement of the Michigan Republican Party headquarters on December 14th [2020], and signed their names to multiple certificates stating they were the ‘duly elected and qualified electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America for the State of Michigan.'”

Some pro-Trump 2020 electors have defended their actions by saying they were merely doing so in case Trump’s challenges of the election were successful.

In an appearance with reporters Tuesday, Nessel criticized the judge’s ruling and stood by her prosecution.

“The evidence was clear. They lied. They knew they lied,” she said of the defendants. “And they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders.”

Nessel said her office is “evaluating” a decision about appealing.

Michigan Public’s Steve Carmody contributed reporting.



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NFL says Jalen Carter’s ejection counts as suspension; eligible to play for Eagles in Week 2

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The NFL suspended Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter without pay for one game for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott early in the team’s Week 1 game, the league announced Tuesday. However, because Carter was ejected before a single play from scrimmage, the league is considering the suspension to have been served, and he is eligible to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The NFL Players Association told the NFL that Carter will not contest the discipline and has waived his right to appeal.

Carter was ejected from the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys after the opening kickoff when he spat at Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, hitting Prescott in the collar of the jersey. Referee Shawn Smith called the unsportsmanlike conduct a “disqualifiable foul in the game” as “a non-football act.”

“That’s a mistake that happened on my side. Just won’t happen again,” Carter said after the game. “I feel bad for just my teammates and the fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, also, but for the fans. They show the most love, you heard them. To not be able to start the game, finish the game, it f—ed me up. We’ll get it better. It won’t happen again. I can make that promise.”

Video replay showed Prescott spitting in the direction of the Eagles’ defensive huddle before Carter approached. Prescott, who said he spits “a thousand times” during a game, suggested that Carter was “trolling” a Cowboys offensive lineman, and Prescott spat in front of him to avoid the linemen in his huddle. Prescott’s spit did not hit Carter.

“I would say (Carter) was back there and was in that sense, and he goes, ‘Are you trying to spit on me?’” Prescott said. “At that point, I mean, I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn’t spit on somebody. ‘I’m damn sure I’m not trying to spit on you.’ We’re about to play a game. I’m wondering why you’re trying to mess with the rookie, and so when I stepped through, I actually say the words like, ‘Why the hell would I?’ … but I’m probably even more colorful. ‘What would I need to spit on you for?’ He just spit on me in that moment; it was more of a surprise than anything.”

Carter did not know after the game whether the league would suspend him. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stated that any internal discipline would be handled in-house. Carter’s temper and demeanor have been a topic of conversation since the Pro Bowl defensive tackle arrived in Philadelphia. He was penalized four times for unnecessary roughness in 2024 and twice in 2023. Carter was fined twice for penalties in 2024, paying a combined $29,262.

“You’ve got to be focused on the job at hand, and all extracurricular stuff needs to not have any importance to you,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said following the NFL’s decision.

“To be considered a leader, actions speak louder than words and he’s got to lead through his actions,” Fangio said.

In previous seasons, spitting incidents have led to fines — not suspensions. Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was fined $25,000 in 2006 for spitting on Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. In 2020, Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was fined $12,500 for spitting at Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, although Peters denied that he intentionally spit at Landry.

The NFL made sportsmanship a point of emphasis this offseason. The topic of spitting at an opponent continued into the weekend, when Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett was ejected for spitting at a South Florida player in the Gators’ 18-16 loss.

The Carter news comes with an Eagles game once again receiving a national spotlight. The visit to Kansas City is a rematch of Super Bowl LIX and is the featured game Sunday in the 4:25 p.m. ET timeslot on Fox.

(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)



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LAPD finds decomposing bodies in two vehicles, one in a Tesla linked to singer D4vd

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Los Angeles police have found human remains in two different vehicles inside local tow yards this week, law enforcement sources have told The Times.

One set of remains was discovered about 12:20 p.m. Monday, when police responded to Hollywood Tow on Mansfield Avenue, according to LAPD Officer Charles Miller. Someone had smelled a foul odor coming from the front trunk of a vehicle, and detectives were sent to investigate the possible presence of human remains.

The car, a Tesla with a Texas license plate, was towed from the tony Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, according to police sources. The vehicle was abandoned five days earlier.

On Tuesday, a body was found partially burned inside a Honda Civic that was logged as towed on Aug. 25, according to two law enforcement sources not authorized to speak about the investigation. The Civic is connected to a missing person report and is considered a separate incident from the one in Hollywood Hills. Detectives found the body at a different tow yard.

The Hollywood Hills case has been classified as a death investigation, according to Miller.

The remains in that vehicle were described as a “head and torso” and were contained in a bag within the trunk, according to the law enforcement source.

KTLA5 also reported that the L.A. County medical examiner’s office responded to the scene but couldn’t determine the gender of the person due to the level of decomposition.

The office didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information.

The vehicle was registered to David Anthony Burke, a musician whose stage name is D4vd, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the investigation. The singer is alive and is expected to perform in Minneapolis on Tuesday for his world tour.

D4vd, pronounced “David,” first entered the public eye trough TikTok, where he has 3.6 million followers.

Times staff writers Summer Lin and Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.



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White House expresses disapproval of Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar : NPR

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Smoke rises from behind residential areas after explosions in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Israel said it launched a strike targeting senior Hamas leaders.

Ali Altunkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images


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Ali Altunkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike targeting senior Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday. The attack prompted international condemnation, and was even met with disapproval from the United States, an ally of both Israel and Qatar.

A Hamas official said no leader was killed. But speaking to NPR on condition of anonymity, in order to comment before the group made a formal announcement, the Hamas official confirmed five fatalities, including the son of Hamas’ top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, as well as an office manager and several other employees.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry also said a member of its Internal Security Force was killed.

This is the first time Israel has carried out a strike in Doha. It marks an escalation in Israel’s war against Hamas, inside a city that has played host to mediation efforts to end the conflict.

Israel’s military said the Hamas leaders it was targeting had been directly responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and have since been “orchestrating and managing” the war against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement they had instructed officials to prepare for a possible strike on Hamas leaders following a shooting by two Palestinian gunmen that killed six Israelis at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday. Hamas on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the shooting in Jerusalem.

This frame grab taken from an AFPTV footage shows a man looking at smoke billowing after explosions in Doha on Tuesday.

This frame grab taken from an AFPTV footage shows a man looking at smoke billowing after explosions in Doha on Tuesday.

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Jacqueline Penney/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar and allies criticized the attack

Qatar’s government swiftly denounced the Israeli strike in its capital. “The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

The Qatari statement added that the country “will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior, which continuously undermines the region’s security.”

Envoy Steve Witkoff was told to inform Qatar of the attack

President Trump took to social media to lament the attack happened inside Qatar, even though he said “eliminating Hamas” is a worthy goal.

“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me. Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack. I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier that the U.S. military — which has a large regional base in Qatar — had learned of the strike just before it began.

Trump added that he spoke to Netanyahu after the strike, and also spoke to Qatar’s leaders. “I assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil. I have directed Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to finalize the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar,” he wrote.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he condemned “this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar.”

Speaking during a news conference about a report on global military spending, he noted Qatar “has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” and said “all parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.”

France, Spain, the United Kingdom and other European countries also condemned the attack, as did Arab states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Jordan.

The strike came just 2 1/2 months after Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, used by the U.S. military’s Central Command, was attacked by Iran in retaliation for the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.

NPR’s Mara Liasson and Michele Kelemen contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.



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