Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Big News
Tulsa, Okla. cop Betty Shelby—who fatally shot Terence Crutcher in September—was found not guilty on Wednesday, reports CNN. “This is definitely a tough pill to swallow,” said Tiffany Crutcher, Terence’s sister. “Terence’s hands were up. Terence was not an imminent threat. Terence did not attack her. Terence didn’t charge at her. Terence was not the aggressor.” His father added, “Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder. I have four grandchildren that are at home now, that have lost their daddy.” Shelby reportedly left the courtroom without providing a statement.
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/865042296655552512
Big Lies
Sigh. So as usual, a lot has happened in the last 24 hours. To start, two folks well-versed in the Michael Flynn fiasco told The New York Times that Flynn informed Trump’s transition team—weeks before the inauguration—that he was under federal investigation for working as a paid Turkey lobbyist on the low, but Trump appointed him as his national security adviser anyway. K. There’s that.
Also, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel on Wednesday to oversee the investigation into whatever the hell Trump seems to have going on with Russia. The decision came after folks found out (thanks to Comey’s receipts) Trump asked Comey to drop the Flynn investigation. As NYT notes, Mueller’s rep is “unblemished,” which could mean the perfect opportunity to get to the bottom of this whole Trump-Russia thing.
Great timing, because now there’s a rumor floating around that Trump could possibly be on Putin’s payroll. The Washington Post reports that just before Trump secured his Republican nomination, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told GOP leaders he believed Putin was cutting Trump paychecks. But Paul Ryan quickly hushed the conversation, reportedly stating, “No leaks. . . . This is how we know we’re a real family here.” And now here we are. [Insert upside-down smiley emoji]
Big Facts
America is looking at what The Washington Post calls the “sharpest spike” in non-criminal immigration arrests. According to WP, ICE agents are arresting over 400 immigrants per day since Trump took office, and while arrests of immigrants with criminal records have risen, arrests of immigrants without criminal records have somehow seen the largest jump. Gregory Chen, government relations director for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said: “This administration is fully implementing its mass-deportation agenda, adding that “they’re going after people who have lived here for a long time.”
Terrible news for the majority of America, but folks like Mark Krikorian—executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies (which is stringent about sticking to immigration laws)—couldn’t be more ecstatic. “Given the collapse in enforcement in the last few years of the Obama administration, it’s a long-overdue increase,” he said. “It’s one data point, obviously, but it’s welcome news.”
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