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AP News in Brief at 12:09 a.m. EDT

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Britain’s Boris Johnson battles to stay as PM amid revolt

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson battled to remain in office Wednesday, brushing off calls for his resignation after three Cabinet ministers and a slew of junior officials said they could no longer serve under his scandal-plagued leadership.

Johnson rejected demands that he step down during a stormy session of the House of Commons amid a furor over his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a senior official. Later in the day, a delegation of some of his most trusted allies in the Cabinet paid a visit to the prime minister at 10 Downing Street to urge him to go, but he remained unmoved, Britain’s Press Association reported.

The prime minister turned down suggestions he seek a “dignified exit” and opted instead to fight for his political career, citing “hugely important issues facing the country,” according to the news agency. It quoted a source close to Johnson as saying he told colleagues there would be “chaos” if he quit.

The 58-year-old leader who pulled Britain out of the European Union and steered it through the COVID-19 outbreak is known for his ability to wiggle out of tight spots, managing to remain in power despite allegations that he was too close to party donors, that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and that he misled Parliament about government office parties that broke pandemic lockdown rules.

He hung on even when 41% of Conservative lawmakers voted to oust him in a no-confidence vote last month.

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Police: Parade shooting suspect contemplated 2nd shooting

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — The man charged with killing seven people at an Independence Day parade confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets from a rooftop in suburban Chicago and then fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up an event there, authorities said Wednesday.

The suspect turned back to Illinois, where he was later arrested, after deciding he was not prepared to pull off another attack in Wisconsin, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference following a hearing where the 21-year-old man was denied bond.

The parade shooting left another American community reeling — this time affluent Highland Park, home to about 30,000 people near the Lake Michigan shore. More than two dozen people were wounded, some critically, and hundreds of marchers, parents and children fled in a panic.

Covelli said it did not appear that the suspect had planned another attack in Wisconsin, but fled there, saw another Independence Day celebration and “seriously contemplated” firing on it. The assailant had ditched the semi-automatic rifle he used in Illinois, but he had another, similar rifle and about 60 more rounds with him, according to Covelli.

Police later found his phone in Middleton, Wisconsin, which is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) from Highland Park.

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EXPLAINER: Should red-flag law have stopped parade shooting?

CHICAGO (AP) — Days after a rooftop gunman killed seven people at a parade, attention has turned to how the assailant obtained multiple guns and whether the laws on Illinois books could have prevented the Independence Day massacre.

Illinois gun laws are generally praised by gun-control advocates as tougher than in most states. But they did not stop Robert E. Crimo III from carrying out the attack in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

One focus is on the state’s so-called red-flag law, which is intended to temporarily take away guns from people with potentially violent behavior. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have such laws.

Here’s a look at Illinois’ red-flag and gun-licensing laws, and whether they could have been applied to Crimo:

WHAT IS ILLINOIS’ RED-FLAG LAW?

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Scramble as last Mississippi abortion clinic shuts its doors

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s only abortion clinic has been buzzing with activity in the chaotic days since the U.S. Supreme Court upended abortion rights nationwide — a case that originated in this conservative Deep South state, with this bright-pink medical facility that is closing its doors Wednesday.

Physicians at Jackson Women’s Health Organization have been trying to see as many patients as possible before Thursday, when, barring an unlikely intervention by the state’s conservative Supreme Court, Mississippi will enact a law to ban most abortions.

Amid stifling summer heat and humidity, clashes intensified Wednesday between anti-abortion protesters and volunteers escorting patients into the clinic, best known as the Pink House.

When Dr. Cheryl Hamlin, who has traveled from Boston for five years to perform abortions, walked outside the Pink House, an abortion opponent used a bullhorn to yell at her. “Repent! Repent!” shouted Doug Lane.

His words were drowned out by abortion rights supporter Beau Black, who repeatedly screamed at Lane: “Hypocrites and Pharisees! Hypocrites and Pharisees!”

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New report details missed chances to stop Uvalde shooting

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A police officer armed with a rifle watched the gunman in the Uvalde elementary school massacre walk toward the campus but did not fire while waiting for permission from a supervisor to shoot, according to a sweeping critique released Wednesday on the tactical response to the May tragedy.

Some of the 21 victims at Robb Elementary School, including 19 children, possibly “could have been saved” on May 24 had they received medical attention sooner while police waited more than an hour before breaching the fourth-grade classroom, a review by a training center at Texas State University for active shooter situations found.

The report is yet another damning assessment of how police failed to act on opportunities that might have saved lives in what became the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since the slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

“A reasonable officer would have considered this an active situation and devised a plan to address the suspect,” read the report published by the university’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program.

Authors of the 26-page report said their findings were based off video taken from the school, police body cameras, testimony from officers on the scene and statements from investigators. Among their findings:

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Some Russians won’t halt war protests, despite arrest fears

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Anastasia has started her day by composing an anti-war message and posting it on the wall at the entrance of her apartment block in the industrial city of Perm in the Ural Mountains.

“Do not believe the propaganda you see on the TV, read independent media!” reads one. “Violence and death have been constantly with us for three months now — take care of yourselves” reads another.

The 31-year-old teacher, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she fears for her security, said she wanted “a safe and simple method of getting a message across.”

“I couldn’t do something huge and public,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I want to get people to think. And I think we should influence whatever space, in whatever way we can.”

Despite a massive government crackdown on such acts of protest, some Russians have persisted in speaking out against the invasion — even in the simplest of ways.

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Ex-cop Chauvin to get federal sentence for Floyd’s killing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Derek Chauvin will learn his sentence Thursday for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, with a deal in place that would extend the former Minneapolis police officer’s time behind bars while shifting him to possibly more favorable conditions in a federal prison.

Chauvin agreed to a sentence of 20 to 25 years in his December plea to a federal charge in Floyd’s killing. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson will make the final decision, with prosecutors seeking the full 25 on the grounds that Chauvin’s actions were cold-blooded and needless.

The defense has asked for 20 years, saying Chauvin accepts responsibility for what he did, and has already gotten a 22 1/2-year prison sentence from a state court for murdering Floyd. Attorney Eric Nelson wrote that Chauvin’s “remorse will be made apparent to this Court,” suggesting Chauvin is likely to speak at Thursday’s hearing.

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said a judge could take such a statement into consideration during sentencing.

“This is his opportunity to say, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t think, or whatever,’” Heffelfinger said. “In federal court it’s very much to the inmate’s advantage to be remorseful, and to demonstrate remorse, even more than at a state sentencing.”

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Jury finds man guilty of murdering rapper Nipsey Hussle

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 32-year-old man who grew up on the same streets in the same gang as Nipsey Hussle was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting of the Grammy-winning rapper, who rose above his circumstances to become an inspiration to the neighborhood where he was eventually gunned down.

The Los Angeles County jury also found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter for gunfire that hit other men at the scene. Prosecutors had sought two counts of attempted murder. Holder also was found guilty of two counts of assault with a firearm on the same men.

Holder, wearing a blue suit and face mask, stood up in the small court room next to his lawyer as the verdict was read. He had no visible reaction. His lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Aaron Jansen, conceded during the trial that Holder shot Hussle, 33, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, but had sought a lesser verdict of voluntary manslaughter.

Jansen said in an email that he was deeply disappointed in the first-degree murder verdict.

“It was always going to be tough given the high profile circumstances surrounding the case,” Jansen said.

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Appeals arguments heard on immigrants brought to US as kids

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Attorneys hoping to save an Obama-era program that prevents the deportation of thousands of people brought into the U.S. as children told a federal appeals court Wednesday that ending the program would cruelly disrupt the lives of thousands who have grown up to become tax-paying, productive drivers of the U.S. economy.

An attorney for the state of Texas, leading an effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals program, argued that DACA recipients have cost the state hundreds of millions in health care and other costs.

The dueling views at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans were exchanged as more than 100 DACA supporters held signs, beat drums and chanted outside of the courthouse. They called for preservation of the program that protects more than 600,000 people from deportation, and a path to citizenship for immigrants.

“I am undocumented, and I will speak out today,” said Woojung “Diana” Park, 22, of New York. She said she was brought to the U.S. as a 1-year-old from South Korea. DACA, she said, “is the bare minimum that the U.S. government has offered immigrant communities after decades of fighting for basic human rights.”

A federal judge in Texas last year declared DACA illegal — although he agreed to leave the program intact for those already benefiting from it while his order is appealed.

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Mercury hold public rally in support of Brittney Griner

PHOENIX (AP) — They shared laughs, smiles, memories. There also were tears, fears, unease.

Through the range of emotions, one common thread bonded them together: Brittney Griner.

Wearing “BG” shirts and holding signs, several hundred fans gathered for a public rally in support of Griner on Wednesday, hoping their sentiments would reach the WNBA player 6,000 miles away in a Russian jail cell.

“It’s really painful and hard to watch, and it’s really taken a toll on a lot of us,” said Kelly Gedney of Surprise, Arizona. “We can feel the fear that she has. It’s scary to me that she’s in a cage when she is traveling to her court cases. She’s been wrongfully detained and we’re going to do everything we can to get her home.”

Griner has spent the past four months in a Russian prison and is currently on trial. She’s accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil when she arrived at the Moscow airport while returning to play for her Russian team, facing a prison term of up to 10 years if convicted.

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Vietnam dismisses two deputy PMs amid corruption probes

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HANOI – Vietnam dismissed two deputy prime ministers amid lengthy investigations driven by a campaign to clean up corruption and protect the Communist Party’s legitimacy.

The National Assembly voted to dismiss Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam from office during a four-day special session that began on Thursday. Mr Pham Binh Minh, who has held the position since late 2013, was also voted out.

The Parliament did not provide reasons for the dismissals. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh earlier on Thursday asked the National Assembly to dismiss Mr Dam and Mr Minh at their requests, VnExpress news website reported.

Of the 484 delegates who voted, 476 approved the dismissals and three did not vote, according to a tally provided by the National Assembly.

Delegates also voted to approve Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, 59, and head of the Haiphong provincial Communist Party Tran Luu Quang, 55, to replace Mr Dam and Mr Minh.

Party officials in September stepped up efforts to prod officials to resign if they have been reprimanded, disciplined and are deemed to have low competency. Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong has also urged timely dismissals of officials who have not been effective in their roles or have committed wrongdoings.

The dismissals come as the authorities aggressively tackle graft as part of a years-long campaign that has ensnared hundreds of officials and businessmen. The probes have defined Mr Trong’s legacy as he serves a rare third five-year term.

There were signs that this was coming for the two top-ranking officials. Late in December, the two were dismissed from the powerful party Central Committee. Mr Minh, a former foreign minister, was also dismissed from the Politburo, which plays a leading role in the country’s governance. The dismissals came at their requests, Thanh Nien newspaper reported earlier. 

Police recently detained Mr Dam’s assistant on alleged abuse of power amid investigations involving Viet A Technology JSC, a maker of Covid-19 test kits. The authorities in September also detained Nguyen Quang Linh, an assistant of Mr Minh’s, and Nguyen Thanh Hai, director of the department of international relations under the government’s coordinating office, for alleged bribery tied to the organisation of repatriation flights for Vietnamese abroad during the pandemic. The authorities have begun criminal proceedings against 39 individuals tied to the case.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 102 individuals tied to the Viet A Technology case. In June, police detained former health minister Nguyen Thanh Long, former Hanoi mayor Chu Ngoc Anh, and a former deputy minister of science and technology for alleged ties to bribery and abuse of power in investigations involving the test kit maker.

Mr Trong has warned that corruption could put the party’s legitimacy at risk as the public grows more intolerant of graft – echoing President Xi Jinping in neighbouring China. In one of the biggest cases to date, former Vietnam politburo member Dinh La Thang was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years in prison for violating state regulations.

Vietnam, a country of roughly 100 million people, also has much to gain economically if it can bolster its image as place to do business. 

During a corruption standing committee meeting on Nov 18, Mr Trong pointed to slow progress in handling some major graft cases and called for stronger actions to be taken, according to his speech posted on the government’s website.  

In 2022, the authorities initiated criminal investigations of 4,646 individuals in 2,474 cases for alleged violations tied to corruption, abuse of power and economic wrongdoings. Since early 2021, the Politburo and the party have disciplined 67 officials under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat, including five ministers and former ministers, 13 provincial chairmen and former chairmen and 20 lower-level officers.

In April, police detained Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister To Anh Dung over alleged bribery while he organised repatriation flights for Vietnamese abroad during the pandemic. BLOOMBERG

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Digging into Honeywell UOP’s Bribery Schemes in Brazil and Algeria (Part II of III)

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The facts surrounding Honeywell’s bribery schemes in Brazil and Algeria are fairly straightforward.  In Brazil, the facts underscore the significant risks of bribery when companies participate in large, valuable project competitions.  Global companies face significant risks when competing and seek every advantage to win a project competition.

Brazil

In 2008 and 2009, Petrobras developed the Premium Refinery project to design and construct two grassroots refineries to process heavy oil in Maranhão and Cerá, Brazil. The project had three bidding phases: technical ranking, design competition and commercial valuation.  Honeywell was interested in the project as an important foothold in the Brazil oil industry.

In July 2009, Petrobras invited Honeywell UOP and a number of competitors to participate in the first phase.  The companies submitted technical proposals for the project.  UOP and two other companies received the highest technical scores and all three companies were permitted to participate in the second phase.

In April 2010, Honeywell searched for a sales intermediary to assist in the Premium project bid.  Honeywell executives believed they needed higher-level contacts at Petrobras to win the contract.   Honeywell’s account manager recommended a Brazil agent because the agent stated he had access to Petrobras’s downstream director responsible for the Premium project.

Honeywell officials submitted an internal request for approval to retain the agent and specifically represented that the agent would receive a 3 percent commission (or $12 million) if successful.  The request falsely represented that the Honeywell officials knew the agent for two years and omitted the fact the agent would interact with Petrobras officials.

In May and August 2010, the agent and Honeywell’s Petrobras account manager met with a Brazilian lobbyist with close ties to Petrobras’s downstream director.  Honeywell’s account manager offered the Brazilian lobbyist and Petrobras’s downstream director a portion of the sales commission (3 percent) in exchange for helping Honeywell win the Premium contract.

In a subsequent meeting, Honeywell’s account manager met with the Petrobras downstream director and the lobbyist at a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro and they agreed that the Petrobras director would assist Honeywell win the contract in exchange for a percentage of the commission.

Honeywell secured the lead in the design context and the bidders prepared to submit their commercial proposals.  Honeywell’s account manager updated his supervisors on meetings he conducted with the Petrobras director, the lobbyist and the sales agent in which he and the agent sought information on what to bid to win the commercial phase.  The Honeywell account manager and his supervisors referred to Petrobras’s director as the “King” and the lobbyist as the “King’s assistant.”

Honeywell submitted a commercial bid of $425 million.  A Petrobras lower level official rejected the bid as too high. Honeywell sought to get the “King” to intervene and get the “decisions up to his level in order to control.”  Inb August 2010 Honeywell’s regional director pressured his supervisors to execute the sales agent agreement stating, “I want to get this back to [the sales agent] as soon as possible, because we are pushing the king to step up and intercede.”  That same day, Honeywell submitted a revised commercial bid of $348 million to Petrobras based on specific guidance provided by the Petrobras director.  Petrobras accepted the bid and Honeywell won the contract.

Honeywell paid the sales agent a total of $10.4 million in commissions from a U.S. bank account.  The payments were made without receipt of an invoice from the sale agent.  The payment requests lacked basic relevant information.  Later, the sales agent wanted his commission payments routed to a Swiss bank account in a different name associated with the sales agent’s new company.

Algeria

In November 2004, Honeywell Belgium contracted with Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned oil company to modernize the instrumentation and control systems at a refinery in Oran, Algeria.  In 2008, Honeywell renegotiated the contract.  One year later, Honeywell and Sonatrach had a dispute concerning the contract and all work ceased on the project. Sonatrach believed that Honeywell Belgium should pay liquidated damages for the delay. Sonatrach’s downstream director was a key decision maker in the resolution of the dispute.

Starting in 2010, Honeywell Belgium retained a Monaco sales agent, who was subjected to due diligence review and approved.  Honeywell used the sales agent to help resolve the liquidated damages dispute.  Honeywell then used the sales agent to pass through various payments to a group of people who helped Honeywell secure a contract with Sonatrach.  The Monaco sales agent understood this to mean the payment as possibly a bribe.

Later, in 2011, a Honeywell sales manager engaged a consultant to help resolve the problems Honeywell was having with Sonatrach.  The consultant made two separate payments to the Sonatrach official, $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, from a Swiss bank account.

Sonatrach and Honeywell Belgium continued to disagree about the contract in Algeria.  Sonatrach threatened to transfer the contract to another company.  After making the first $50,000 payment to the Sonatrach official, Honeywell and Sonatrach agreed to modify the contract and resolve their dispute.

Two weeks later, the Monaco sales agent and a Honeywell subsidiary entered into a fictitious sales consultancy agreement where the agent would purportedly promote sales in Algeria for a 2 to 4.5 percent commission (capped at $500,000 per year).  Despite not achieving any of the contractual milestones, the Monaco sales agent was paid $300,000.

The Monaco sales agent was paid to reimburse the consultant who made the two bribery payments to the Sonatrach director.  The Monaco sales agent sent an invoice to Honeywell for a lump sum fee of $300,000 relating to the refinery project. Honeywell approved the invoice payment.  The sales agent, in turn, repaid the consultant the $75,000 through a series of intermediary transfers involving multiple U.S. correspondent banks located in New York.

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Republicans Fume Over Cost of a Speakerless House

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GOP wants to investigate Hunter Biden, Mayorkas, and the IRS. First they have to agree on a speaker.

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• January 4, 2023 6:00 pm

Subpoenaing Hunter Biden, impeaching Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and stopping President Joe Biden’s plan to hire thousands of IRS agents. These big ticket items were supposed to be priorities in the House agenda, but after taking power following two years of full Democratic control of the government, Republicans’ plans could be delayed for weeks, months, or indefinitely, as the party fails to find a speaker of the House.

The chaos in the Capitol is stirring ire among House Republicans, the vast majority of whom support Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) for the role. Republican members who spoke with the Washington Free Beacon said they were powerless to do just about anything, such as fulfilling basic constituent services or setting staff up with emails. 

“If we had elected Kevin McCarthy speaker we would have already voted to defund the 87,000 new IRS agents, new border security measures, and a select committee on China,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.) told the Free Beacon. “We would also be sending notices to the Biden administration that we’re coming for answers on the FBI, Department of Justice, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and conflicts of interest surrounding the Biden family.”

Without a House speaker, the legislative body grinds to a halt. No members can be sworn in, introduce legislation, or issue subpoenas. For all intents and purposes, the United States currently doesn’t have a House of Representatives. But the failure to find a House speaker carries political consequences as well. The longer the fight drags on, the longer Biden, who is expected to run for reelection in 2024, goes without virtually any real oversight in the form of hearings and subpoenas. 

Congress has proven itself effective at inflicting damage on a president or future candidate, as evidenced by investigations into Hillary Clinton and former president Donald Trump. Clinton faced over a year of scrutiny from House Republicans for her role in the Benghazi attacks as secretary of state and her use of a private email server to conduct professional business, which only ended after she lost her second bid for president in 2016. Democrats spent nearly four years investigating Trump over every facet of his administration, resulting in two impeachments and a failed reelection campaign.

Democrats, who told voters on the campaign trail that a Republican majority would mean few bills would get passed as they investigate Hunter Biden, and Republicans agree that oversight would be a chief priority in the new Congress. One senior staffer close to the Republican Oversight Committee said members had a day-by-day plan on various Biden administration officials they planned to subpoena. That project, which was to be publicly announced on Tuesday, is now on hold.

“The people who are voting against Kevin McCarthy in the Republican conference are aiding Joe Biden, aiding [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries, and aiding [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer. Because they are the reason we are not getting about the business we set out to do,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) on Fox News on Wednesday. “When it comes to Jim Jordan’s oversight on [the Judiciary Committee], guess what? Can’t do it, because of these folks. When it comes to securing our border, guess what? Can’t do it, because of these folks. When it comes to reining in wasteful spending under the Biden administration, guess what? Can’t do it, because of these folks.”

The Republican Party’s inability to find a speaker does not look like it will be resolved any time soon. One individual close to the negotiations, who identifies as a neutral party and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the anti-McCarthy voting bloc’s demands are untenable.

“What [Rep. Matt] Gaetz is asking for isn’t really possible if you want a functioning House,” the individual said. “McCarthy has to give everything away to make these people happy.”

The anti-McCarthy group of Republicans has made a number of demands, some publicly and others in backroom negotiations. Those demands include a vote on a number of bills including a balanced budget amendment and term limits. Rule change demands include requiring a two-thirds majority vote for all earmarks, committee spots, and a pledge from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, not to meddle in primaries.



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