Boeing Company has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge relating to two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. The company has agreed to a $243.6 million fine.
In an unrelated case that was in civil court, Judge Arthur Engoron in February fined former President Donald Trump $464.8 million for what the judge says was overvaluing his New York properties in order to get more favorable loan terms. The fine was $354.8 million plus $100 million in interest.
The fines in the Boeing criminal case, concerning crashes in which 346 people died, and the Trump civil case, where there were no actual injuries, is in the same ballpark since Boeing has already paid a $243 million fine.
In addition to the main civil fine and interest, Judge Engoron also fined Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump $4 million and banned all three Trump men from being able to run New York companies in the future.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing and has appealed the ruling, as well as the extraordinary bond that the judge demanded be paid in cash.
In the Boeing case, the federal government will have the aircraft maker on a probation list for three years.
Families of the victims are opposing the Boeing plea deal, and will ask the judge to reject it because it makes concessions to Boeing “that other criminal defendants would never receive and fails to hold Boeing accountable for the deaths of 346 persons.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clashed with reporters during Monday’s press briefing while dodging questions about published reports that a renowned Parkinson’s disease expert visited the White House several times this year.
Citing White House visitor logs, the New York Postreported that the visits by neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard of Walter Reed Medical Center included several with President Joe Biden’s personal doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
The revelation came less than two weeks after Biden’s poor debate showing against former President Donald Trump renewed concerns about his declining cognitive abilities and his ability to remain in office and serve another four-year term.
Biden is seeking reelection against presumptive GOP nominee Trump.
During the sometimes hostile back-and-forth, Jean-Pierre refused to acknowledge the visits or even confirm Cannard’s name.
Visibly frustrated with Jean-Pierre’s earlier non-answers, CBS reporter Ed O’Keefe shouted: “It’s a very basic, direct question. That’s what you should be able to answer by this point.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Jean-Pierre responded. “Ed, please. A little respect here. Please.”
Jean-Pierre continuously cited security and privacy concerns for not answering the questions.
Biden, 81, has shown visible signs of decline throughout his presidency, which were punctuated by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s final report on his investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House following his term as vice president under Barack Obama.
Hur declined to charge Biden, but his report highlighted Biden’s trouble remembering things, including the year his son died.
“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,” according to the report, as The Center Square previously reported. “He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’)”
The Hur report continued:
“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.”
Since the debate, when Biden repeatedly stuttered and faltered, and at times became incoherent and trailed off, many Democrats have stepped forward calling for him to step aside from seeking reelection.
Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square.
It all came down to sex and texts. Lots of texts. The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit has revealed the cause of U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred’s sudden resignation in great and salacious detail. In the end, it was a forced resignation, the record shows. And it was so much more.
The complaint against Kindred was made two years ago. On May 23, the very detailed order and certification was made regarding the complaint of judicial misconduct against Kindred, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as one of three judges for the District of Alaska. The order and certification was made public on Monday, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 360(b) and in consultation with the Judicial Conference of the United States.
“The Order and Certification is the result of a thorough investigation conducted by a Special Committee appointed by Chief Circuit Judge Mary H. Murguia. In its Order and Certification, the Judicial Council concluded, among other things, that Judge Kindred engaged in misconduct by creating a hostile work environment for his law clerks and by having an inappropriately sexualized relationship with one of his law clerks both during her clerkship and after she became an Assistant United States Attorney. The former law clerk did not appear on any case before Judge Kindred while she was employed as an Assistant United States Attorney,” the court wrote.
In other words, Kindred had sexual relations with a law clerk who then became an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Such a person would appear before Kindred in court proceedings, creating a conflict of interest.
The order says:
“This judicial misconduct order arises from a complaint against Judge Joshua M. Kindred, District Judge of the United States District Court of Alaska. The Judicial Council adopts the findings of the Special Committee, which include a 105-page report along with 1,039 pages of exhibits. The Council concludes that:
“(1) Judge Kindred created a hostile work environment for his law clerks by engaging in unwanted, offensive, and abusive conduct, and treating the law clerks in a demonstrably egregious and hostile manner.
“(2) Judge Kindred engaged in misconduct by having an inappropriately sexualized relationship with one of his law clerks during her clerkship and shortly after her clerkship while she practiced as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Alaska.
“(3) Judge Kindred did not retaliate against individuals for reporting his behavior or participating in the misconduct process.
“(4) Throughout these proceedings, Judge Kindred lied to the Chief Judge, the Special Committee, and the Council. Although the evidence indicated that he had a sexual encounter with his former law clerk, Judge Kindred maintained that he “never had any sexual contact with [the law clerk].” Only when asked under oath during the Judicial Council meeting of April 5, 2024, did he admit that he had deliberately lied to the Special Committee.
“In view of these findings and pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 354(b)(2)(A), the Council certifies to the Judicial Conference of the United States that United States District Judge Joshua M. Kindred has engaged in conduct that might constitute one or more grounds for impeachment under Article II of the Constitution. It further orders that Judge Kindred be publicly reprimanded for the conduct described in this order that violates the Rules of the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act and the Code of Conduct for the United States Judges and is prejudicial to the effective and expeditious administration of the business of the courts and the administration of justice. It further requests that Judge Kindred resign voluntarily from the position of United States District Court Judge for the District of Alaska.
“In November 2022, Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia received information about possible misconduct by the Honorable Joshua M. Kindred, District Judge of the United States District Court of Alaska. Responding to this information, Chief Judge Murguia directed a limited inquiry under Rule 5 of the Rules for Judicial- Conduct and Judicial-Disability (“JC&D”) Proceedings.
“Upon determining that there was probable cause to believe that misconduct had occurred, on December 27, 2022, Chief Judge Murguia identified a misconduct complaint against Judge Kindred pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 351(b) and JC&D Rule 5(a).1 The complaint stated that probable cause existed that Judge Kindred: (1) created a hostile work environment for one or more judicial employees by subjecting them to regular discussions about his personal life, including conversations of a sexual nature, and ostracized a judicial employee who raised concerns about this behavior; (2) engaged in unwanted physical sexual conduct with a former judicial employee and engaged in unwanted verbal sexual conduct with that employee both during and after her clerkship; and (3) told individuals with knowledge of his potential misconduct to remain silent. Judge Kindred was provided with an opportunity to respond to the complaint pursuant to JC&D Rule 11(f).2”
In his response, Judge Kindred offered his “unequivocal denials to these allegations,” the order explained, stating that he was “in possession of communications that [he] believe[s] clearly establish that these allegations are entirely without merit.”
Based on Judge Kindred’s response and the information gathered during the limited inquiry, Chief Judge Murguia determined that there were reasonably disputed issues that needed to be investigated by a Special Committee.
“The Committee’s investigation included a review of documents obtained from various witnesses and Judge Kindred, including text messages exchanged between Judge Kindred and his law clerks. These communications included more than 700 pages of text messages,” the order said.
“The Committee also interviewed witnesses, including Judge Kindred, current and former court staff, as well as several attorneys and individuals with knowledge relevant to the Committee’s investigation. In all, 21 individuals were interviewed in person or by video. All interviews included at least two interviewers. Of the 21 individuals interviewed, 13 were current or former judiciary employees, including nearly all of Judge Kindred’s current (at the time) and former law clerks.
“The Committee’s investigation revealed that Judge Kindred created a hostile chambers environment for his law clerks. Judge Kindred appeared to have no filter as to the topics he would discuss with the clerks. He discussed his past dating life, his romantic preferences, his sex life, the law clerks’ boyfriends and dating lives, his divorce, his interest in and communications with potential romantic or sexual partners, and his disparaging opinions of his colleagues. He also made disparaging comments about public and political figures.’
Some examples of the comments Kindred made include: “I was a huge hit at dinner Partly due to how much shit I talked about Sarah palin”; “I told a republican [state] senator to eat a dick”; and “[a senator] is worried that I can kick [] his ass.”
Kindred also routinely used language that was inappropriate in a professional setting, such as encouraging rating people based on “fuckability,” stating that he was not “hoe-ignorant,” or telling stories about “giving blow jobs in a hot tub.”
In the few instances where clerks came to Judge Kindred to discuss his inappropriate behavior, they were belittled or ostracized, and, in one instance, a clerk left the clerkship, the order continued.
“Though many of these comments occurred in chambers, Judge Kindred also sent his law clerks numerous text messages over an extended period. These text messages document the nature of Judge Kindred’s inappropriate interactions with his law clerks as these comments lacked any connection to the clerks’ legitimate job duties and were often sexual in nature. For instance, Judge Kindred made inappropriate and often vulgar comments to his law clerks such as “I’m just gonna pay for [a law clerk’s boyfriend’s] next ass tattoo”; “You’re going to the big leagues. You might be better in the butt leagues”; “I’ve never been invited to an orgy by a stranger before”; “I got asked out by a waitress which actually made me feel way less insecure about being single again, which was nice”; and “So it looks like I might need a judicial tinder profile.””
Sen. Dan Sullivan posted a comment expressing his disappointment, saying he was extremely disappointed.
“I will continue to work with the Alaska Federal Judicial Council for appointment of federal judges who understand Alaska’s unique role in our federal system. This is crucially important for our state. Federal judges have lifetime tenure – their decisions will positively or negatively impact Alaskans for decades. I remain focused on working with relevant stakeholders to appoint Alaska federal judges who interpret the law as Congress intended, not as special interest groups and unelected federal bureaucrats want it to be,” Sullivan said.
“In the Order and Certification, the Judicial Council publicly reprimanded and admonished Judge Kindred for his conduct, which violated the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act and the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. The Judicial Council also requested that Judge Kindred voluntarily resign and certified the matter to the Judicial Conference of the United States to consider impeachment,” the court wrote.
Judge Kindred resigned, effective Monday, July 8. The Judicial Conference of the United States will continue to consider the matter, including the certification with respect to impeachment, Murguia wrote, along with this statement:
“The Judiciary is entrusted to self-govern and, in doing so, must hold its federal judges to the highest standards of integrity and impartiality. We take judicial misconduct complaints seriously. When allegations arise, the Judiciary conducts a fair and thorough investigation that focuses on promoting a civil and respectful workplace, free of discrimination and harassment, and maintaining the integrity of the Judiciary. The process seeks to preserve the effective and expeditious administration of the business of the courts. In all respects, this was a serious and sensitive matter. I thank the witnesses who provided information, understanding fully how difficult that may have been. In my role as Chief, I will continue to ensure that our judges are held to the highest standards.”
The North Slope Borough filed suit to challenge the final rule for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska that was made by the Biden Administration.
The borough said the Bureau of Land Management, by making the NPR-A off limits to oil and gas development, did not meaningfully consult with the tribes in the area or the borough.
“The rule would significantly and irrevocably harm the North Slope’s right to self-determination and ability to provide essential services for residents. This suit is filed alongside the complaints of the Voice of the Arctic Inupiat and the State of Alaska, demonstrating the unity of North Slope communities and Alaskans in opposing the BLM’s unjust and unilateral action to harm the livelihoods of the residents of the North Slope,” the borough explained in a press statement.
“When I was sworn in as Mayor of the North Slope Borough, I made a solemn promise to protect and provide essential services for the people of the North Slope Borough. The BLM claims to act on our behalf but what they are truly doing is undermining my ability to fulfill that fiduciary obligation,” said Mayor Josiah Patkotak. “We on the North Slope don’t have the luxury of keeping quiet and waiting for a new industry to swoop in and replace our largest economic driver. We have to speak up for our future as a people.”
The North Slope Borough houses the entirety of the NPR-A, and represents the ancestral homelands of the Inupiat people. The North Slope Borough is the largest employer in the region and provides the majority of essential services depended upon by residents, including public safety services, utilities, education, public health services and wildlife and subsistence management. These services are funded by taxes on infrastructure within the Borough – taxes which account for 95% of the Borough’s revenue.
Members of the North Slope Iñupiat Tribes, Village Corporations, Regional Corporations, and their elected leaders have been unanimous in their opposition to the rule.
In light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper, which removed what is known as the Chevron Deference, the North Slope Borough is taking proactive steps to incorporate this precedent into its regulatory framework.
“By aligning our policies with this landmark decision, we aim to ensure that our administrative actions and interpretations of ambiguous statutes are carried out with a heightened level of judicial scrutiny. This approach underscores our commitment to transparency, legal integrity, and the protection of our community’s rights and resources. Furthermore, the Borough remains steadfast in its adherence to NEPA and the Regulatory Flexibility Act, ensuring that environmental and economic impacts are thoroughly assessed and that small entities are considered in the rule-making process,” the borough said.
The lawsuit follows one filed by the State of Alaska, which makes a similar case, saying the feds had not consulted with affected parties, and that the agency had exceeded its congressional authorization.
The U.S. House has been recessed for two weeks, but convened again on Monday. Yet Rep. Mary Peltola, Alaska’s only representative in Congress, won’t be at work for a third week because she is fishing in Alaska. She’s taking time off, while others are working. Next week, the House is back in recess, which means a whole month off for Peltola.
It’s a pattern that goes back decades for her, as Peltola has skipped work before to go berry picking in years past, much to the chagrin of her former employers.
Last year she skipped out on field hearings in Anchorage for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that she serves on, instead attending a glitzy campaign fundraiser in Colorado.
Peltola’s news release about her planned absence was not widely distributed on Monday, and was not posted to her official website press release page.
Peltola’s absence means she won’t have to face Capitol Hill reporters and their uncomfortable questions about her wholehearted endorsement of Joe Biden, her assessment that he is one of the “sharpest, smartest” people she has met in D.C., and her statement last week to the Fairbanks News Miner that her opinion of him is now “irrelevant.”
Her votes, too, will be irrelevant because she won’t vote at all, carrying on her tradition of having one of the lowest attendance and voting records in Congress. She will avoid having to be on the record on a key piece of legislation this week that requires voters to be citizens of the United States in order to cast their ballots. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have been told to vote against a bill that implements greater safeguards against non-citizens being registered to vote in federal elections. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas in May, will come up for a vote this week.
Congressional candidate Nick Begich made a note of Peltola’s disappearing act.
“Mary Peltola SKIPS another week of work to go fishing?!? Mary Peltola just came off a week of recess, but the House is back in session. Despite already having one of the worst attendance records in the House, Alaska’s only representative in the that body is unfortunately absent this week, because she has decided fishing takes priority. The job of Alaska’s congressional representative requires dedicated attention, especially when the House is in session. Alaska can’t afford a part-time member of Congress,” Begich wrote on X.
“Extreme Democrat Mary Peltola’s conveniently timed disappearing act stinks worse than fish in the office microwave. Reeling from her own toxic decisions to bear-hug Biden, Peltola plays hooky to avoid any tough questions,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ben Petersen.
Congressional calendars are published months in advance and every member of Congress is made aware of the weeks when they can fish or campaign, and when they are expected to be back at work in D.C.
"I think that Joe Biden's mental acuity is very, very on. He's one of the smartest, sharpest people I've met in DC." – Mary Peltola pic.twitter.com/VYQX2JmmZx
One unhinged Alaska man brought a knife to a gunfight. Or rather, a harpoon. It didn’t end well for him.
Just after midnight on Monday, Alaska State Troopers were informed that a man wielding a sword was threatening to kill people on South Kasilof Beach on the Kenai Peninsula, where Alaskans are engaged in their annual personal-use dip-netting for salmon.
State Troopers and Wildlife Troopers responded to the area and located the man near several tents. When they drove up to the area, a man pointed a 7-foot harpoon at them and charged the Troopers’ marked patrol vehicle. The man initially retreated after Troopers ordered him to step back.
When the Troopers got out of their vehicle, the man charged at them again, still brandishing the harpoon, which was the kind of harpoon one might use in halibut fishing.
The harpoon man just wasn’t getting the point of the officers’ commands, apparently, and a Trooper discharged his firearm. The man took a bullet and fell.
Despite lifesaving attempts by Troopers and emergency medics, the man was declared dead at the scene. His body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. Next-of-kin notifications are in progress, and his identity will be released once notifications have been made.
No other campers were injured in the incident.
Alaska State Troopers are sharpshooters. Last month, they won the annual “The Shoot” competition with Canadian Mounties.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation assumed case responsibility and is investigating the incident. Once their investigation is complete, it will be referred to the Office of Special Prosecutions for independent review. The Trooper who discharged his firearm has been placed on 72 hours of administrative leave in accordance with Department of Public Safety policy. The officer’s name will be released publicly in 72 hours.
Dip-netting opened at Kasilof in June and continues through early August.
Police Chief Sean Case was only six business days into his new job heading up Anchorage Police when he was in front of a microphone explaining to the media why a man had been shot early Monday morning.
At 3:27 a.m. on July 8, Anchorage officers were dispatched to the Circle K Gas Station at 1405 Bragaw Street regarding a disturbance with a weapon in the parking lot. Prior to officers’ arrival, they were told by those on the scene that at least one shot had been fired.
Almost immediately after arriving at the scene, one shot was fired at the police, an officer reported. A confrontation ensued during which two officers ultimately discharged their weapons.
The adult male suspect was hit twice, once in the lower body and once in the upper body. He was transported to the hospital with what are believed to be life-threatening injuries. His name has not yet been released.
No officers or any other civilians were injured. The entire incident was captured on police cameras, including body cameras, and was seen by witnesses and likely captured by nearby security cameras.
While the investigation is under way, the State’s Office of Special Prosecutions will review the officers’ use of force and determine whether it was legally justified. Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officers’ actions to confirm whether there was any violation of policy.
As is the policy of the department, the two officers will be placed on four days of administrative leave. Their names will be released publicly 72 hours after the incident.
Other officer-involved shootings this year include these recent incidents:
On June 19, Anchorage Police responded to a disturbance with a shotgun on the 7400-block of E 20th Avenue. During a SWAT operation, an officer discharged his weapon and the victim was later found deceased inside the home where she had holed up with her long gun, having fired multiple shots during the confrontation.
On June 3, officers responded to reports of shots fired in an Anchorage neighborhood, They took one shooter into custody but the other resisted, reached into his clothing, pulled a gun, refused officers’ commands to drop it, and was shot dead by officers; three officers discharged their weapons.
On June 1, officers heard shots coming from a downtown parking lot. Officers encountered a man who was armed with a gun. Officers opened fire, and the man was struck in the upper and lower body. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
On May 13, four officers discharged their weapons at Kristopher Handy, who they say had pulled a gun on them on Bearfoot Drive in West Anchorage. The suspect was declared deceased at the scene.
Watch the July 8, 2024 press availability with Chief Case here:
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s transition team will hold an open house on Tuesday on the ground floor meeting room of the Loussac Library, on the corner of 36th Avenue and Denali Street. The event will run from 4-7 p.m., with comments from the transition team scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The event is a chance for Anchorage residents to hear about what LaFrance and her kitchen cabinet have in store for Alaska’s largest city.
The team has 18 members, nearly all of them from government or the Anchorage government subsidiaries that are commonly referred to as nonprofit organizations.
The transition team and its portfolios include no special emphasis on the growing problem of vagrancy, drug abuse, and anarchy in Anchorage:
Following evidence of President Joe Biden’s declining cognitive state, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer called on Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to appear for a transcribed interview regarding his medical assessments of President Biden, as well as his private endeavors and entanglements with the Biden family’s business schemes.
Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, requested that Dr. O’Connor produce all documents and communications in his possession related to his involvement in the Biden family’s financial activity. The concern is that O’Connor may not be truthful in his positive assessment of Biden’s mental state, due to financial conflicts.
“After a concerning debate performance by President Biden against former President Donald Trump on June 27, journalists have rushed to report on what Americans have seen plainly for years: the President appears unwell,” Comer wrote. “Americans question President Biden’s ability to lead the country, and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating circumstances surrounding your assessment in February of this year that ‘President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old-male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency …’ Recently, it was reported that you have ‘never recommended that [President] Biden take a cognitive test.’ The Oversight Committee is concerned your medical assessments have been influenced by your private business endeavors with the Biden family.”
Amid reports President Biden has “lost all independence,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated on July 3 that Dr. O’Connor had not evaluated President Biden since February.
Yet on a phone call with Democratic governors the same day, Biden “told the assembled governors he was checked out by a doctor and that everything was fine.”
Prior to his current position as the president’s personal physician, O’Connor was involved with the Biden family’s influence peddling schemes.
Recent evidence obtained by the Committee shows O’Connor’s and James Biden’s involvement with Americore Health, LLC, a company that operated rural hospitals and is currently involved in bankruptcy proceedings. James Biden, the president’s brother, used funds from Americore to pay Joe Biden $200,000 at the same time the company was facing financial collapse. This occurred when Joe Biden was between government jobs as vice president and president.
James Biden received payments for $400,000 and $200,000, characterized as loans, from the company that were wired directly to his bank account “based upon representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections.” During his transcribed interview, James Biden confirmed O’Connor provided him counsel in connection with the alleged work he was performing for Americore.
“You have repeatedly refused most interview requests from the media, and the Committee now turns to you to provide answers regarding your independence because of the mixed and confused messaging coming from the White House regarding the President’s ability to perform his job,” Comer said. “The statements by the White House Press Secretary and President Biden appear inconsistent, and the Committee seeks to understand the extent of your role at the White House at this time. Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand if you are in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve.”
